On Thursday, prosecutors did not charge the Miami Beach police officer for the Taser death of graffiti writer Israel Hernandez Llach.
The investigation determined that the death was “accidental” because Taser stun guns “are not likely” to cause cardiac death, according to the State Attorney Office’s report.
On Aug. 6, 2013, police caught the teenage graffiti artist known as "Reefa" tagging the wall of an abandoned McDonald’s. This led to a chase, and when Hernandez-Llach was cornered, Officer Jorge Mercado shocked him in the chest.
The State Attorney’s report stated that the Taser’s probes hit the region of Hernandez’s chest with the least skin-to-heart distance.
Though Hernandez-Llach’s family isn’t happy with the decision, they will begin focusing their attention on changing people’s minds about Tasers, according to the Miami Herald.
Vivian Azalia has been supporting the family since Hernandez-Llach's death. She says the decision was “heartbreaking” given the number of lawyers and social justice organizations working toward bringing the family justice.
“To see all their work go to waste and it not have a real result or a real win … it just makes me upset,” she says.
The founder of the Justice for Reefa group and member of knew Hernandez-Llach three years before his death. She says she will continue to spread the word about the importance of knowing one’s rights in situations where police are involved.
Azalia says she and Hernandez-Llach’s family are planning a two-year anniversary event in Wynwood on Aug. 6.
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