Prosecutor: St. Louis cop acted in self-defense in shooting

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis police officer who fatally shot a robbery suspect in January acted in self-defense, a prosecutor ruled Monday.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce released two surveillance videos as she announced her decision not to charge Sgt. Michael Pratt in the shooting of 52-year-old Crayton West on Jan. 17 after the robbery of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant.

One video appears to show West pointing a gun at the clerk before reaching into the cash register and grabbing money.

The other shows him coming face-to-face with an arriving officer. He appears to reach into his waistband, pull out a gun and raise it before being fatally shot.

"A family lost someone very important to them, and I'm so sorry for their loss," Joyce said in a statement. "I am also thankful that more people were not injured during the course of this incident."

Joyce pointed to the video and statements from several people who were inside and near the restaurant who told investigators they saw West with a gun.

His fingerprints were found on the counter of the restaurant, she said.

"We have the unusual advantage with this case in that the incident was captured on surveillance video," said Joyce. "In addition to brave witnesses willing to cooperate and the forensic and physical evidence, it's clear that the officer in this case was acting to protect himself and those in the restaurant."

Police-involved shootings have faced increasing scrutiny in the St. Louis region since 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot during a street confrontation with white officer Darren Wilson in nearby Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9, 2014.

A grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November 2014.

West was black; Pratt is white.

Police Chief Sam Dotson said Pratt is a 13-year veteran of the department.

"We are thankful for the cooperation of witnesses as they provided the insight investigators and prosecutors needed to arrive at their conclusion," Dotson said in a statement.