No charges for Raleigh police officers in March shooting of man near middle school, DA concludes

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Wake County District Attorney's Office said Friday that Raleigh police officers will not face charges in the March shooting of a man near Ligon Magnet Middle School.

District Attorney Lorrin Freeman concluded that the fatal use of force was not unlawful and that therefore, there is no legal basis for pursuing a criminal prosecution.

Jorge Luis Vega-Lesama fired his weapon multiple times at civilians and at officers before being fatally shot by officers.

On March 27, police responded to 911 calls about a man shooting a gun near Ligon Magnet Middle School. 911 callers said a man was in the roadway of Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting at cars.

When officers R.A. Sirianna, M.L. Adams, and P.J. Fernstrum arrived at the scene Vega-Lesama shot at them, according to police.

Officer Adams returned fire three times and the suspect fired back before running behind a house where the officers lost sight of him.

READ MORE: Raleigh police release footage of deadly shooting near middle school

A short time later Vega-Lesama moved back toward the front of the home with a gun still in his hand.

That's when Sirianna opened fire, hitting the suspect and killing him.

A Taurus G3C 9mm handgun was found near Vega-Lesama's hand after he was shot, Freeman said in her report. That gun matched the description provided by civilians and officers of what they saw Vega-Lesama holding. Eight cartridge casings matching the ammunition in that handgun were found at the crime scene.

Freeman noted that preliminary autopsy results indicated that Vega-Lesama was shot once in the head. The final autopsy is still pending.

"Under state law, a law enforcement officer may use deadly force to protect himself or others from what he reasonably believes to be the imminent use of deadly force by another," Freeman wrote. "As in all cases of criminal investigations, the analysis, in this case, hinges on an application of the evidence to the law. Mr. Vega-Lesama's conduct posed a significant threat of death to those at whom he was shooting. Under these circumstances, law enforcement was justified in using deadly force against him."

NOTE: Video is from a previous report.