Colorado Cop Charged With Second Degree Murder

Last month
in Rocky Ford, Colorado, Jack Jacquez, Jr. was
shot in the back and killed by a cop who entered his home,
according to Jacquez’s sister-in-law, who was also home at the
time. According to her and other family members the officer,
identified as James Ashby,  also pepper sprayed Jacquez as he
lay dying on his kitchen floor. At the time, police did not explain
why an officer showed up at the home at two in the morning, why
they targeted Jacquez, or why a cop shot and killed him.

Now the officer, Ashby, has been charged with murder in the
second degree. But authorities are still refusing to disclose
details of the incident. The Denver Post
reports:

Ashby was booked Friday into the Otero County jail. He is being
held on a $1 million bond, according to court records.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said Ashby was arrested at
the La Junta Police Department. The Otero County Sheriff’s Office
and the Colorado State Patrol also assisted in the
investigation.

Ashby’s arrest warrant has been sealed by a judge, so details
about the shooting were not available. 

In the meantime, police around the country
say they are preparing for protests when the grand jury’s
decision is announced on whether to charge the officer who shot and
killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, a case which unlike
many other more police shootings, gained nationwide attention over
the summer.

h/t Stanton Smith