Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Powers announced Friday that three officers involved in the fatal shooting of Joe Frasure, Jr. will not face criminal charges because their actions were justified. The shooting occurred after a 911 caller reported suspicious behavior outside an apartment building in Wyoming, Ohio. Frasure’s family claims that he was at the building where the encounter occurred to help clean out his late grandmother’s home.

The announcement comes amidst refocused national attention on police violence following the recent police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennesee. The independent database Fatal Encounters indicates that police have already killed 79 people across the US through January 2023. The vast majority of these deaths, however, come from armed encounters.

The decision not to bring charges against the officers is one of the first official actions Powers has taken as Prosecuting Attorney. The newly appointed lead prosecutor for the Cincinnati area, who was sworn in on January 24, described the officers’ actions, which included—”discharg[ing] four total rounds at the suspect as the vehicle sped within feet of them”—as acts of self-defense. Bodycam footage released by the police department confirms Frasure’s attempted vehicular escape but also reveals that police never identified themselves during the nighttime encounter.

Joe Frasure, Jr. succumbed to his injuries on January 31, 2023. Unknown to the police at the time of the encounter, Frasure was on probation in Indiana for Felony Battery and on parole in Kentucky for Methamphetamine Manufacturing. In a press conference on the matter, Prosecuting Attorney Powers said, “Any loss of life is tragic and our thoughts are with the Wyoming Police Officers who will forever live with this in their memories, their families and our community, as well as the Frasure family.”