LADUE, Mo. (KMOX) - A former police officer, who meant to grab her taser but instead pulled her gun and shot a suspected shoplifter, has been cleared of her charges after the shooting victim forgave her.
Then Ladue Police Officer Julia Crews shot Ashley Fountain-Hall on April, 23, 2019 at the Ladue Crossing Schnucks. Crews was charged with second-degree assault for shooting the mother of five in the torso, after making a mistake "in the heat of the moment."
Hall was in the hospital for weeks recovering from the gunshot. She also filed a lawsuit against Crews that stated multiple organ suffered lacerations, and she had to have her spleen removed.
But now, Hall has requested that charge be dropped.
It comes after they voluntarily participated in a Restorative Justice mediation this month, according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. According to a 2002 United Nations resolution, Restorative Justice is “a process in which the victim and the offender, and, where appropriate, any other individuals or community members affected by a crime, participate together actively in the resolution of matters arising from the crime, generally with the help of a facilitator.”
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“This was a unique opportunity where the defendant immediately realized she had made a terrible mistake in shooting the victim, and both the defendant and victim reached places where they could see a resolution for this incident outside of the criminal justice process,” said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. “In this instance, justice is served by Restorative Justice, and this doesn't happen without Ashley being 100% onboard."
After the incident, officials said two women walked out of Schnucks without paying for items and Crews stopped the women in the parking lot. After a struggle, Hall tried to run away.
Hall later stated it was only after she found out she wasn’t under arrest that she tired to get away.
Charging documents say the officer shouted "taser, taser," at the fleeing suspect, but the officer fired her gun. Crews resigned from the department about a week after the shooting.
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