Pharrell Williams and his family was dealt a gut punch after a grand jury cleared the officer who fatally shot his cousin, Donovon Lynch.
According to reports, Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle it was determined that Officer Solomon D. Simmons was justified in shooting Lynch. “There were numerous people in that parking lot when Officer Simmons saw Mr. Lynch starting to come up with the firearm,” Stolle said. “So it is not only just whether the weapon was pointed at Officer Simmons. It was also —- are the people in the parking lot at risk?”
This news comes eight months after the 25-year-old was gunned down following officers receiving an alert of shots being fired. However, Lynch's father, Wayne Lynch, said in his $50 million wrongful death lawsuit that his son and another friend were exiting a restaurant when the shots were fired. When officers arrived, they immediately locked in on Lynch and Solomon fired the fatal rounds at a man who had no involvement with the reported shooting.
“Officer Simmons was on his way to respond to an incident in which Mr. Lynch was not a suspect and not involved,” the lawsuit reads. “Mr. Lynch posed no threat to Officer Simmons or anyone else … [but] Virginia Beach Police Officer Solomon D Simmons shot Mr. Lynch twice, killing him.”
Source: apnews.com
