The U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday it will not prosecute the officers who fatally shot a Connecticut woman on Capitol Hill last fall.
There is "insufficient evidence" to pursue federal or local charges against officers from the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police in the death of Miriam Carey, the office of U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. said in a release.
Authorities say Carey, a 34-year-old dental hygienist from Stamford, Connecticut, tried to ram her car through a White House barrier Oct. 3 before leading police on a chase that ended with her being killed.
Carey's 1-year-old daughter was also in the car, but escaped serious injury.
The entire incident lasted just seven minutes, authorities said Thursday.
Carey's family said earlier this year that an autopsy determined Carey was shot multiple times from behind, including a shot to the back of the head
A review conducted by authorities from Machen's office and the Metropolitan Police Department included interviews of more than 60 witnesses and analysis of crime scene evidence, ballistics reports, traffic video footage, the autopsy report and more, Machen's office said:
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After a thorough review of all the evidence, the U.S. Attorney's Office concluded that the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers who were involved in the shooting used excessive force or possessed the requisite criminal intent at the time of the events."
A lawyer for Carey's family said the announcement came after nine months of "utter" silence by government officials. He said the news was not surprising.
"The United States Attorney's legal position has not changed the Carey Family's legal position," a statement by attorney Eric Sanders said. "Again, after an exhaustive review of all publicly available data, the Carey Family has concluded the shooting of Miriam Iris Carey was 'NOT JUSTIFIED'."
Carey's relatives have challenged law enforcement accounts that she was delusional and raised questions over whether police used an appropriate level of force.
Carey had been diagnosed with postpartum depression and psychosis. She allegedly told officers who responded to her Stamford apartment prior to the Capitol Hill incident that President Barack Obama communicated with her and had set up cameras to record her life for national news outlets, police said.
Carey's family filed a $75 million wrongful death claim against the Secret Service and Capitol Police in January.
