A special grand jury has cleared a Virginia Beach police officer who shot and killed Pharrell’s cousin.
Donovan Lynch’s father filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against police Officer Solomon D. Simmons, who is also Black, and the city of Virginia Beach for allegedly failing to train its officers.
The city’s prosecutors said Simmons was justified in protecting himself as Lynch was armed and was pointing the gun at others in the vicinity as well as police officers. The prosecutors also said that Lynch began to turn toward Simmons but Simmons did not say that Lynch actually pointed the gun at him.
“There were numerous people in that parking lot when Officer Simmons saw Mr. Lynch starting to come up with the firearm,” Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin 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?”
RETIRED COP KILLS RAPPER