A South Florida Family said they're continuing their "quest for justice" after a state attorney's office decided to clear a police officer in a shooting that left their loved one dead more than five years ago. Homestead Officer Anthony Green fatally shot and killed Edward Foster on July 16, 2015. According to findings from the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, they concluded that Green was justified in shooting Foster because he feared for his life. State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle approved the document last Thursday (October 7).
Foster's family called the outcome a "whitewash" of the events. "It was like me reliving the moment again. I felt like I had just got the call that my brother was shot and killed by an officer," sister Crystal Foster told NBC Miami while wiping back tears. "I’m angry. I’m so angry," she said. Edward, who went by Butch, was 32 years old and had six children. Miami New Times reported that Foster was walking to the M&M Meat Market near his home to grab some food and supplies that day. Two Homestead police officers were responding to a 911 call about an armed man, which lead to Foster's death.
Investigators said Foster was shot eight times: once in the arm, twice in the back, three times in the leg, and twice in the the bottom. They also spoke with Green, who claimed Foster was running and pointed a weapon at him. "Officer Green followed in his vehicle while shouting commands to stop running….Mr. Foster turned and pointed his firearm at Officer Green. Green, while seated in his police vehicle, discharged his firearm….and struck Mr. Foster," according to the State Attorney's report. In a cell phone video taken after the shooting, a woman can be heard saying, "He shot that man for no reason. That man ain't doing s***... to nobody."
"My brother never pointed a gun to no vehicle and then you’re saying he ran and pointed the gun again, it’s insane and it shows how they have no remorse for human life because my brother was innocent," Crystal Foster said. "My brother’s life mattered. Edward Foster’s life mattered and we are going to continue this fight because it's not over and I want to let everyone know you continue to fight because at the end of the day we have the proof is in the pudding."
While the five-year investigation was underway, Homestead police placed Green in a different job. They also claim they weren't involved in the investigation. The State Attorney's office said they won't comment further on the case and will let the findings speak for itself. The family plans to file a federal lawsuit after suing in state court. Mike Pizzi, the family's attorney, called the decision a travesty and a "miscarriage of justice."
"He was shot in the back while he was running away by a police officer who could not have possibly been threatened by him," Pizzi told NBC Miami. "The report is a whitewash and it's amazing that it took so many years to do this whitewash."
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