Former Michigan State Police Trooper Mark Bessner was charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the death of a 15-year-old, the Detroit Free Pressreports.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Trooper Bessner and his partner were in pursuit of teenager Damon Grimes for an alleged traffic citation. Trooper Bessner fired his Taser out the window of their moving vehicle, striking Grimes and causing a fatal crash into a parked truck.
“Trooper Bessner unnecessarily deployed his Taser at Mr. Grimes without legal justification or excuse as Mr. Grimes was traveling at least 35 to 40 miles per hour,” Worthy explained.
It is against Michigan State Police policy to fire a Taser from a moving vehicle.
“We are alleging that Trooper Bessner created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm, knowing that death or such harm was the likely result, by firing his Taser from his moving police vehicle at Damon Grimes who was also on a moving ATV,” Worthy said.
In August, community activists and residents called for swift prosecution of Trooper Bessner, chanting "No Justice No Peace" and carrying signs reading "Black Lives Matter" and "Justice 4 Damon Grimes."
"This is not an isolated incident of the Michigan State Police performing high-speed patrols in urban areas," the Rev. David Alexander Bullock said at the August protest.
The family of Damon Grimes has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Michigan Attorney General's Office for the death of the teenager.
Trooper Bessner had been sued two previous times for allegedly using excessive force. He resigned from the force shortly after the incident. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Detroit's 36th District Court.
Watch Monique Grimes, mother of the victim, react to the charges: