CANTON, Ohio — A grand jury in Stark County has declined to indict a Canton police officer for the shooting death of a 46-year-old man who was firing celebratory shots in the air with a rifle on New Year's Day 2022.
The Stark County Prosecutor's Office said it presented the grand jury with multiple charges to consider against officer Robert A. Huber in connection with the death of James Williams. The grand jury chose not to indict. Authorities didn't provide specifics regarding what charges the grand jury was considering.
On the day he was killed, Williams was standing behind a fence at his home firing a rifle early in the morning on New Year's Day when the officer approached and shot him. The shooting was captured on the officer's body camera. The footage shows the officer firing shots into the fence and announcing police were there.
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Williams' wife, Marquetta Williams, believes officer Huber acted incorrectly when he fired on the fence without first announcing police were on the scene.
The family filed a lawsuit earlier this year.
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The family's attorneys released the statement below following the grand jury's decision:
"Over the past two weeks, the Stark County Prosecutor presented the tragic death of James Williams by Canton Police Officer Robert Huber to the Stark County Grand Jury. Today, the Williams family is deeply disappointed in the decision not to criminally indict Officer Huber. Since January 1st, 2022, over eight months, the Williams family has had to deal with unimaginable grief and heartache that comes with losing a husband, father, and friend. They have had bad day after bad day, and today is no exception.
The tragic death of James Williams, who was shot through a fence by Officer Huber without first announcing his presence, was laid out for everyone to see in the released body cam video. James’ death could have been avoided and should have never happened. Although we are unaware of the evidence and testimony presented at the grand jury proceedings, the Williams family looks forward to the future factfinding process and thoroughly reviewing the complete BCI investigation files upon their release by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
Although the Williams family is saddened that Officer Huber will not have to face criminal charges, the Williams family, and its legal team, are strongly committed to continuing to fight for justice through the civil court system to ensure accountability for those responsible for James’ death. The Williams family will continue to advocate peacefully for police reform to change the system that allowed this tragedy to occur. While the Stark County Prosecutor has failed in obtaining justice for James, we will not stop until we do."
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