Police officer cleared in fatal shooting of fleeing suspect

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - A grand jury has cleared a Mississippi police officer who fatally shot a man suspected of shoplifting.

The Sun Herald of Biloxi says Harrison County District Attorney Joel Smith on Wednesday released a grand jury report finding “no criminal conduct” by Biloxi Police Officer Ruben Sabio. The officer shot 61-year-old Vincent Dronet in the head in October during a chase.

Dronet was accused of shoplifting from a Home Depot store. Police say he was fleeing in his pickup when he hit an unmarked police van. Police stopped Dronet and tried to use a stun gun on him before he drove away again. That’s when Sabio fired.

An unknown number of shots were fired.

Police Chief John Miller says Sabio has returned to work.

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Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com