Miami Beach Cop Cleared Of 2009 Shooting
MIAMI (CBS4) - Miami-Dade prosecutors have cleared Miami Beach Police officer Adam Tavss saying he was justified in using deadly force when he shot Husien Shehada in June 2009.
Prosecutors said that Officer Tavss "likely was led to believe that his life or the lives of others was in danger" when he shot Shehada.
According to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald, prosecutors surmised that Sheada and his brother, Samer, had hidden a beer bottle and a wooden coat hanger under their shirts. This in turn generated 911 calls about armed making their way down Washington Avenue.
Relatives said the shooting was wrong and cited the fact that just four days later, Tavvs was a part of another police-involved shooting. The Shehada's attorney, John Contini, told the Herald that a civil jury will side with the family.
"This goes to prove how incestuous the relationship is between the State Attorney's Office and Miami Beach Police," Contini said. "The prosecutor's office is part of the problem. It's like asking Osama bin Laden to investigate al Qaeda."
Tavss is no longer a police officer after getting arrested for growing marijuana and is serving two years of probation.
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