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No charges will be filed against the Denver jail deputies who took action to control Marvin Booker, a 56-year-old man who had been arrested on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia (via The Denver Post).
His death, which occurred after deputies used restraining holds and a Taser at the new Van Cise-Simonet Detention Facility, has provoked calls from Booker’s family for justice, but Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey writes in a letter issued to the press, “Evidence shows that the application of the degree of force used by the deputies to control and handcuff Mr. Booker was justified.” Moreover, Morrissey, citing autopsy results, writes there was no evidence that Booker was “beaten in any way by the deputies.” In video recordings not released to the public, Morrissey says it is clear Booker was “non-compliant, hostile, profane, and violent toward the female deputy” who admitted him to the jail in July.
Mayor John Hickenlooper says his office is now “committed to working with Mr. Booker’s family and their attorneys to arrange a private viewing of the jail video,” which will be released to the public following an internal investigation (via 9News).