Prosecutor: charges won’t be filed against law enforcement who shot man

PETTIS COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The officers that shot and killed a man in Pettis County last month will not face charges, according to Pettis County Prosecutor Phillip Sawyer.

Sawyer said Monday that he will not file charges in the death of Jay P. Messer, who was shot and killed on Nov. 5 at a home near La Monte.

The evidence showed that officers responded to an "imminent threat" of Messer raising a gun at officers when they responded to his house, according to Sawyer.

Sawyer did not say whose shot killed Messer. He said it is a "huge burden" for someone to fire a weapon and kill another person in self-defense. Sawyer said the entire situation is tragic and wishes Messer's family well.

According to Sawyer, Messer may have been disturbed by the upcoming "anniversary" of his wife's death and alcohol "played a factor."