No Charges for Saginaw Cops who Shot Black Man 46 Times: White Prosecutor Upholds Decisions of White Police Officers, White Media Silently Agrees

White Supremacy or Justice? Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael D. Thomas holds the knife Milton Hall had in his hand to make a point during a press conference yesterday. "The officers' lives were dangered," he said. "Especially the officer with the dog, and the dog." [MORE] From [HERE] and [HERE] Police officers who unleashed a hail of gunfire that killed a homeless Black man with a knife in his hand will not face criminal charges, prosecutors said Wednesday. A joint probe by the Michigan Attorney General's Office and Saginaw County Prosecutor's Office found the officers reacted properly, it was announced Wednesday.

Saginaw County Prosecutor Mike Thomas (in photo) told reporters that investigators had reviewed police reports, several pieces of evidence -- including audio recordings of phone calls made to police -- and interviewed several witnesses at the scene. "Criminal charges aren't warranted," said Thomas, noting that the officers had not acted with criminal intent on July 1 when they opened fire on Milton Hall. The 10-week investigation was necessary because "the Saginaw Police Department was not going to investigate itself," he said. Hall's family said that he had a history of mental illness.

Hill had been had been arguing with officers in a parking lot next to a restaurant when he was shot in broad daylight, in full view of passing motorists. Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael Thomas said that the squad of police confronting him opened fire "because apparently, at this point in time, he was threatening to assault police with a knife."

However, in the video Hall does not make any sudden or threatening movement toward police. He appears to stagger around lethargically. The officers had been equipped with stun guns, though they "aren't 100% effective," Thomas added. Police also had a police dog on a leash in front of Hall so they had other opitions at their disposal -- but apparently chose to use their guns instead. After the shooting begins he makes no threatening movements towards officers - but the officers continue to shoot, like a video game. He was murdered by cops with a reported 46 shots in a five-second hail of bullets. [MORE] 

A separate investigation, by the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, is ongoing.

Prosecutors played an audio recording of a call made to police by a woman at a nearby mini mart prior to the shooting in which she complained that he had been rude and aggressive, and had refused to pay for a coffee and other items. The woman also said Hall had spit on someone (probably a white person) inside the store, according to the recording. Watch the video for yourself. 

A female police officer responded to the call and radioed in for backup when she encountered Hall, who was being aggressive and threatened the officer with a knife, according to Thomas.

Investigators said Hall refused to drop the weapon, despite police orders to relinquish the knife and came within a few feet of the officers.

"He's coming at us every time we exit the vehicle," according to the female officer's voice, which was broadcast to reporters during Wednesday's press conference. "He wants us to shoot him."

"We can't let him get out of this area," the officer added. "He's going to kill somebody." The video contradicts this. 

The officers fired 46 rounds, striking Hall 11 times, according to Thomas.

Investigators also showed video of the incident, captured by a dashboard camera inside a police cruiser at the scene.

The eight officers, as well as a police dog, had formed a semi-circle around Hall, who did not appear to back down during the confrontation, according to the video.

"They didn't shoot him right away at the beginning," said Thomas. "They tried to look for non-lethal options here."

Thomas said "there is a need for greater (police) training," as well as a need for more access to non-lethal weapons.

Hall's cousin, Mike Washington, told CNN in August that Hall had been jailed for minor offenses such as vagrancy in the past, but, "he was not violent."

Hall's mother, who said her son was mentally ill, has plans to speak Monday at a "town hall type meeting" organized by Concerned Citizens of Saginaw at a local church.

Jewel Hall said last month that she and her attorney were conducting a separate investigation. They are requesting access to additional documents as well as the autopsy report.

"I have good days and bad days," she said Wednesday. "Today is not a good day for me."

In a statement released through her attorney, Hall said she was "disappointed in the prosecutor's report finding that the actions of the six Saginaw police officers who so brutally shot and killed my son, Milton Hall, were justified."

"If there is any benefit to come from Milton's tragic death, we would hope that it would be to raise awareness of the challenges confronting the Saginaw Police Department and Saginaw elected officials," she said in the statement. "The challenges are serious, systemic, wide-ranging and deeply rooted."

The shooting occurred in a parking lot on West Genessee Avenue, a busy commercial strip on the north side of Saginaw.

In a video purchased by CNN, shot by a motorist from across the street, Hall is seen arguing with a half-dozen officers. For more than three minutes, he walks back and forth, and at one time appears to crouch in a "karate stance," according to the man who captured the scene.

Multiple shots are heard in the video.