The matter went before the grand jury on January 26 to review the facts and circumstances of the October 29 officer-involved shooting of De’Arius Cannon in Tallahassee.
Cannon was shot by two Tallahassee Police Department Offices in McDonald’s parking lot on Pensacola Street after admittedly firing into a crowd.
A grand jury determined that the use of deadly force by Tallahassee Police Department Officers Guido Marchionda and Nathan Greene, were justified and therefore lawful under the provisions of Florida Statutes Sections 843 and 776.
The grand jury heard testimony from Ron Gilligan, an expert on law enforcement’s use of force training and protocols, as well as Tallahassee Police Department investigator of the shooting Investigator Nick Roberts who investigated the shooting incident.
The grand jury also heard from several other law enforcement officers who were eyewitnesses to the shooting and observed Cannon’s behavior leading up to and during the incident that resulted in his being shot, a statement from the grand jury says.
Additionally, the statement says the grand jury reviewed physical evidence collected from the scene in this case including the body-worn camera footage captured by both the officers who shot and the other officers who were present at the scene of the shooting.
In December, A Leon County jury found Cannon, 30, not guilty of second- degree murder for the death of 40-year-old DeMario “Ro” Murray, an innocent bystander who was killed during a shooting that injured eight others outside of Half Time Liquors on Pensacola Street, following a Florida State University home football game and Florida A&M University’s homecoming festivities.
Cannon was found guilty of attempted manslaughter and improper exhibition of a firearm.
Jurors downgraded an attempted murder charge to attempted manslaughter by act and with a firearm.
Cannon is still being held in the Leon County Jail, with sentencing set for March 2.
Erin Hill – Gadsden County News Service
