ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The Richmond Heights police officer who shot and killed a man after a foot chase that started in the Saint Louis Galleria last year will not face any charges, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
According to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, video evidence showed Tillman walked through the Saint Louis Galleria with a high-capacity extended magazine visible in his right waistband. When two police officers approach Tillman about his weapon, they had a brief conversation that ended when Tillman ran away with his gun. Police chased him and throughout the chase, police said they ordered him to stop and drop the gun, but said he refused to comply with their orders.
Bell said a Richmond Heights police officer ran up a set of stairs in a bank parking lot and chased Tillman, which was captured on video. Then Tillman, who had briefly been out of the officer’s line of sight, ran down the stairway directly toward the officer.
Video footage shows Tillman holding the gun and moving within 5 feet of the officer. Bell said as Tillman ran toward the officer, the officer shot him multiple times. The officer stopped shooting when Tillman dropped his gun.
“There is no way to heal the loss of a son, father, brother or friend, and we regret the loss of this young man’s life. But the facts and law in this tragic case do not warrant criminal charges,” Bell said.
Tillman's family has reviewed the video of the incident and after viewing the video, they requested it remains private. Bell said he was prepared to release the video, however, he is respecting the family's wishes and said the video will not be released to the public.
“We recognize that it took too long to provide answers in this case. The COVID-19 pandemic complicated the process of compiling the video evidence, but that is an explanation, not an excuse. All of us in law enforcement need to work toward providing closure more quickly, even in pandemic conditions and even in complicated cases,” Bell said.
In 2019, family members had questioned police officers' account of the incident.
"Ask them if they gave my brother a chance, to say 'Stop, put your hands up.'" Racheal Jones, one of Tillman's sisters said in 2019.
Richmond Heights police did not have body-worn cameras at the time of the incident. On June 8 of this year, the department received body-worn cameras.
In August of this year, the Saint Louis Galleria implemented new safety measures to detect weapons on the property.
The ‘Vapor Wake Public Safety Canine Detection Program’ went into effect on Aug. 20. Specially trained canines patrol the mall alongside security officers to detect firearms.
