Earl Murray was one of two unarmed African American men shot dead in the early evening of June 12, 2000, during a drug sting in a Jack-in-the-Box parking lot in Berkeley, Missouri, near Dellwood. Murray was in his car with Ronald Beasley when undercover officers from a multi-jurisdictional drug task force, including a U.S. Drug agent and a police detective, surrounded their vehicle and fired numerous shots, killing both occupants.

Officers said Murray rammed their vehicle and posed an immediate threat, prompting them to shoot in self-defense. Eyewitnesses disputed that account, saying the police vehicle struck Murray’s car first. A subsequent federal investigation concluded Murray’s car was reversing to flee when officers began shooting out of what the report described as fear and panic. St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch presented the case to a grand jury, which declined to indict the two white officers who fired the fatal shots. McCulloch’s public comment calling the deceased men bums intensified public outrage and protests.

Does anyone have additional eyewitness details or information about events leading up to the shooting?