Early on he faced the responsibility of deciding whether to prosecute two undercover cops who shot and killed two men during an investigation. The Post-Dispatch reports:
The officers said the suspects, who had prior felony convictions for drug and assault offenses, tried to escape arrest and then drove toward the officers.A subsequent federal investigation showed that the men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots and killed the suspects, Earl Murray and Ronald Beasley. The probe, however, also concluded that because the officers feared for their safety, the shootings were justified.McCulloch didn’t prosecute the officers. He specifically drew the ire of defense lawyers and protesters, who had been holding demonstrations and threatened to block Highway 40, when he said of Murray and Beasley, “These guys were bums.”
McCulloch defended his comments, complaining the public and media were trying to “vilify” the cops, who shot and killed two alleged drug dealers and appeared to lie about the circumstances. Because they were drug dealers, McCulloch insinuated, they deserved to die.
That shooting happened in 1991 in St. Louis but it’s a familiar pattern for some of the shootings authorities rule justified around the country to this day. As forensics and video technology improve, it becomes harder for fabricated stories to hold up to muster. Nevertheless, cops continue to be almost universally cleared of wrong-doing in fatal shootings.
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