Austin Cop Who Shot Unarmed Teen Won't Face Charges, Dashcam Video Released [UPDATED]

AUSTIN, TX -- A grand jury Monday decided not to press charges against a former Austin Police Department officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenager earlier this year, according to media reports.

Geoffrey Freeman shot 17-year-old David Joseph on Feb. 8 in North Austin within seconds after finding him wandering through a neighborhood without any clothes on. Police had gotten earlier reports from residents that Joseph was behaving erratically, at one point chasing another resident through the neighborhood.

The teen was unarmed at the time, but Freeman later said the boy had ignored his commands to stop and charged at him before he fired his gun. By the time the officer located the teenager, he was unclothed for unknown reasons.

The case galvanized community members and local Black Lives Matter activists condemning the killing as illustrating excessive police force. Many pointed to the boy's nudity as illustrative of some sort of mental collapse, arguing for improved policing methods in dealing with suspects in the throes of psychological anxiety.

Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo was embroiled in controversy after firing the officer in the wake of the shooting, with police union representatives defending the officer's actions while condemning the chief for dismissing Freeman.

On Tuesday evening, the Austin Police Department issued a statement to reiterate they stood by their action in firing Freeman in the wake of the shooting incident.

"The Austin Police Department respects the Travis County District Attorney’s Office grand jury process and the decision made in the officer involved shooting that occurred on Feb. 8, 2016," the APD statement reads. "The Department stands by our previous administrative action and is ready to proceed with the indefinite suspension appeal process."

Union reps also took Acevedo to task for staging a press conference updating the public on the case flanked by Black Lives Matter activists hours after the shooting. Acevedo took the step to quell rising tensions given the racial undertones to the case (Freeman also is African American).

A week after the shooting, Austin Police Association members attributed the killing to police under-staffing. "Staffing is vital to ensure officers have more options when making split decisions," APA President Kenneth Casaday said at a press conference.

City Manager Marc Ott also infused himself in the controversy, recently suspending Acevedo for a few days and docking his pay for speaking publicly about the case during an ongoing investigation.

Minutes after the grand jury's announcement they won't pursue charges against Freeman, members of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas took to Twitter to celebrate the news.

"Breaking News! Austin Officer Geoffrey Freeman no billed in the shooting death of David Joseph, thanks to CLEAT attorney Grant Goodwin," CLEAT tweeted.

The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas is the state's largest law enforcement organization.

>>> Photos of David Joseph and Geoffrey Freeman via Facebook