A Montgomery County grand jury declined to indict two Dayton police officers accused of shooting and killing 16-year-old Brian Moody. The grand jury determined a crime was not committed.
"I am appalled. I just can't believe that they would not indict these two officers for misconduct and unnecessary use of force," said community organizer Malik Akbar.
He lives on Hillcrest Avenue, about three miles from where Moody was killed on June 29. That’s when two patrol officers encountered Moody and a group of youth on Negley Place. Upon questioning them, police said Moody ran and they chased him. Then they said he pulled a gun from his waistband.
Shondale Atkinson lives a few houses down on Negley Place. That night, she attempted to console some of the teens. She feels uneasy because the Dayton Police haven’t identified the officers. She wants transparency.
"If you're saying that there was no crime committed, then we should have at least been able to know who are the two officers that is amongst us that may not be doing well with community relationships and how to approach a group of kids without one of them ending up murdered on the ground," Atkinson said.
The officers provided first aid to Moody, who later died at a hospital. They say they found a loaded automatic Glock 17 near his body. Two Franklin County assistant prosecuting attorneys served as special assistant prosecutors investigating the fatal shooting of Moody.
Carrlo Heard is associate pastor at Omega Baptist Church. He says the grand jury’s decision does not surprise him.
"I don't feel safe. I don't feel safe," Heard said. "It's a reminder of the systemic devaluation of Black lives. It's the continuation of the historical and ongoing oppression that our communities face."
On the heels of this and other deadly shootings, the city of Dayton says it’s initiating a violence interruption program. Recently, Mayor Jeffrey Mims, Jr. met with community members to hear their ideas. He’s hopeful this program will benefit every Dayton family.
"How comfortable it would be if they can get up out of their house in the morning, go to work, go to school, interact in those spaces, and then be able to return home safely," Mims said.
But Atkinson is skeptical. "There's a big difference from people being able to orchestrate and organize and implement from a desk versus those who are out here in this community that is doing the work that we understand," Atkinson said. "I will be interested in seeing who's chosen to lead this program and if they are the best fit, to do the work in a way that is going to bring forth accountability."
Meanwhile, Akbar wants to train area youth so they can stay safe. He's the founder of the Dayton chapter of New Era.
"We're going to the schools and we talk to the younger kids and we teach them de-escalation tactics, ways to communicate with the police safely. Then communicate with the police, then we can work better to solve the issues both sides have," Akbar said.
Heard is urging West Dayton residents to invest more effort into helping the community's young people.
"I love to see us out in the community more engaging with our young people to let them know that there is a life outside of what they see in our surroundings," explained Heard. "I would like to see us have better relations. with our city leaders, with the police that patrol our community so that they can get to know us. So that they get to know that we're really no different than they are. You cut my arm and you cut a white man's arm, we're both going to bleed red."
These residents also want Dayton police officers to be better trained on cultural awareness to reduce deadly interactions with Black residents in their community.
