Federal authorities say they will not charge an FBI agent who fatally shot a hostage during a rescue attempt in Houston last year.
Daryl Fields, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Antonio, said Wednesday that after an 11-month investigation prosecutors “declined to proceed with federal criminal charges.”
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement that her office now has an obligation to present the case to a grand jury to determine if state charges are warranted.
The decision by federal authorities comes after Houston police Chief Art Acevedo in October said the agent’s explanation for why he shot the hostage “is not supported” by evidence reviewed by police investigators.
Authorities have said 47-year-old Ulises Valladares was kidnapped in an attempt to extort money from his brother.
They say the agent used a rifle to break a window at the home where Valladares was being held. A startled Valladares grabbed the weapon, prompting the agent to fire.
