Former Albuquerque officer won't be charged in 2014 shooting

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A team of special prosecutors has cleared the former Albuquerque police officer who fatally shot a 19-year-old woman in April 2014. The team headed by special prosecutor Michael Cox announced Tuesday that no criminal charges will be brought against Jeremy Dear for the shooting death of Mary Hawkes. In a letter to Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier, the prosecutors say it is impossible prove that Dear did not believe Hawkes posed a threat when he opened fire. Dear's lawyer Thomas Grover told KOB-TV that although the shooting was tragic, the prosecutors saw it for what it was, "a garden variety deadly force encounter." The Albuquerque Police Department declined to comment. A wrongful death lawsuit brought by Hawkes' family against the city was settled for $5 million last month.