Two deputy police officers will not be charged after they were involved in the fatal shooting of a teenager over stolen Pokémon cards.
A grand jury has sincecleared both officers of any wrongdoing in the incident, and is expected to provide recommendations and further comments in the future.
The incident occurred after two men, 18-year-old Micheal Gomez and 19-year-old Joseph Lowe were allegedly caught trying to place the stolen items into a backpack.
After they left the store, they were stopped by police in a car being driven by a third man, Jayden Baez.
When attempting to apprehend the men for shoplifting, Baez reportedly tried to use his vehicle to ram the pair. The officers then fired into the car resulting in the death of Baez and injury to Lowe and Gomez.
Lowe and Gomez havealso had charges of shoplifting raised against them dropped.
The menlaunched a civil suitagainst Target, with their attorneys holding the store responsible for their injuries and the death of Baez.
Perhaps surprisingly, this isn’t the only incident where the theft of Pokemon Trading Cards have been connected to a fatality. AGamestop clerk was charged last Octoberfor fatally shooting a man suspected of shoplifting “ultra-premium” Pokemon cards.
About The Author
Eliana was formerly a staff writer on the Australian Dexerto team. A freelance journalist for a decade, she earned her master’s in international journalism from the University of Western Australia. She has written for a range of outlets and most recently served as a founding member of the editorial team for esports news and leaks website, BLIX.GG. A lover of JRPGs and strategy MOBAs, when she’s not writing you’ll most likely find her playing Dota 2 or FFXIV.
