Family slams prosecutor for not charging trooper who allegedly provided false info on fatal crash
Mason's family spoke out during a press conference outside the Wake County Judicial Center in Raleigh on Thursday, along with their attorneys Ben Crump and Bakari Sellers.
"You told me to my face you was on my side and now you're on the side of the state trooper. The man who lied," said Mason's mother, Henrietta Mason, in a speech directed at the prosecutor in this case, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.
The press conference came after body camera footage of the incident was released last week following a judge's order by the North Carolina Highway Patrol – a division of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
The video, which was obtained by ABC station in Raleigh WTVD, appears to show Trooper Garrett Macario, who pursued Mason, providing false information to Raleigh Police officers who also responded to the scene. The video also appears to show his supervisor Matthew Morrison telling Macario not to disclose that the crash happened while Macario was pursuing Mason.
"While their dishonesty violates the standards to which law enforcement officers must adhere, the District Attorney is not pursuing criminal charges as the evidence would not support a successful prosecution," DA Freeman's office told WTVD in a statement.
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The DA's statement also said that Freeman shared her concerns with the North Carolina Highway Patrol about the trooper's conduct and determined that her office will not prosecute any cases where "the testimony of either of these officers is required to prove the underlying offense."
ABC News reached out to the DA's office for further comment.
A spokesperson for the North Carolina Highway Patrol told ABC News on Thursday that the release of the body camera footage is governed by the state and can only be released through an order by the Superior Court where the recording was made.
"A petition was granted in this matter, but the recordings only can be released to the petitioner," the spokesperson said.
ABC News reached out to Mason's family and their attorneys for further comment.
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Tyrone Mason died after his car crashed during a high-speed chase after Maracio attempted to pull him over for speeding, according to a final investigation report obtained by WTVD. According to the report, Mason sped up to about 100 MPH.
The trooper then slowed down and turned off his lights at the same moment that Mason lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a median.
Henrietta Mason filed a federal lawsuit against trooper Macario on May 21, accusing him of violating her son's civil rights and claiming that the trooper failed to render aid to Tyrone Mason after the crash. It is unclear if Macario has obtained an attorney and a response to the lawsuit has not yet been filed in court.
Attempts to reach out to Macario and Morrison directly were unsuccessful, but ABC News reached out to the North Carolina Public Safety Department (NCPSD), the state's agency for law enforcement.
A spokesperson for NCPSD called the incident "heartbreaking" and told ABC News that both troopers involved have been placed on administrative leave while an internal review of the incident is ongoing.
"We do recognize and take ownership that words spoken and captured by video in the moments after the collision's occurrence do not reflect the high standards we place upon our members nor the lifesaving work that we see them carry out daily," the NCPSD spokesperson said on Wednesday. "We do believe, however, that this collision was a result of Mr. Mason's actions alone and that is reflected in the unbiased collision report completed by the Raleigh Police Department."
The DA's office said in the statement obtained by WTVD that the probe into Mason's death uncovered issues related to the Raleigh Police Department's handling of the crash reconstruction investigation and said that the trooper's "untruthfulness" led to delays and "confusion."
A spokesperson for the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) told ABC News on Thursday that RPD cooperated with the DA's office and is reviewing their crash investigation procedures and are working to update policies regarding how they interact with the families of victims "to ensure more timely and effective communication."
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The police spokesperson also said that the trooper's account was "misleading," and led to "a series of communications failures" in this case.
"Compassion is one of our values, and we recognize and acknowledge the delay it took for Mr. Mason's family to get answers fell short of our high-held standards. Chief Rico Boyce extends his condolences to the Mason family," the RPD spokesperson added.
Mason family attorney Sellers said on Thursday that RPD Police Chief Boyce did contact the family for a meeting and while they decided not to meet with him, they did "appreciate" the gesture.
Family slams prosecutor for not charging trooper who allegedly provided false info on fatal crash originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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