VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Now that a special grand jury found no probable cause to charge the officer who killed Donovon Lynch, some people are feeling relief and others feel that justice was not served.
Eight months after a Virginia Beach Police Officer shot Lynch, a special grand jury says there is no probable cause to charge Officer Solomon Simmons
Investigators say Simmons was acting in self-defense of himself and others.
"Our analysis is self-defense. Did he act in justifiable self-defense," said Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Scott Lang.
RELATED: Virginia Beach officer who shot and killed Donovon Lynch will not be charged, per Special Grand Jury
Simmons released a statement through his attorney saying he was placed in a chaotic situation and was forced to make a split decision.
"I am gratified that the special grand jury confirmed my actions on March 26, 2021 to be entirely justified and am pleased to have my name cleared of any wrongdoing. The past eight months have been a trying time for me and my family, as I am sure it has been for the Lynch family. Not a day goes by that I don't think about that night. As the Grand Jury's report stated, I was placed in an incredibly chaotic situation, one that required me to make a difficult, split-second decision. My heart goes out to the Lynch family for their loss, and I will continue to pray for them as I have done every day since this happened," said Simmons.
But Earl Lewis Jr, a spokesperson with Black Lives Matter 757, says in their eyes, his name is not cleared.
"His name has not been cleared in our community. No. We still have a young man who lost his life," said Lewis.
He says he is not happy with the special grand jury’s decision.
"That was not justice today. That was not justice."
He says he wishes the city would have brought in an outside agency to do the investigation.
"We need to bring in somebody else to oversee this situation."
Following the update, Virginia Beach City Manager Patrick Duhaney released this statement on behalf of the city:
"The death of Donovon Lynch was a tragedy, and his family has endured an unfathomable loss. The grand jury’s conclusion that the officer’s actions were deemed not criminal does not change that fact. Neither does it change how people feel about what happened that night.
The focus now will be to conduct an administrative investigation to determine whether the officer acted in compliance with departmental policy. The administrative review always occurs after the completion of the criminal investigation as to not interfere with the function of the criminal justice system. Like the criminal investigation, the administrative investigation will consider all available information regarding the incident and the conditions in which the officer found himself. We anticipate this process will be concluded no later than end of first quarter 2022. This case will be reviewed by the newly authorized Independent Citizen Review Board once operational.
Officer Simmons remains on administrative assignment while the department completes the internal investigation."
"What happened today, we are not comfortable with it," said Lewis.
As for Lynch’s family, they told 13News Now in a statement “the family is disappointed but we’re processing the news and we'll make an official statement by tomorrow."