At a picnic organized in Bradley Blackshire's honor Saturday, his family members said they disagreed with the decision not to charge the Little Rock police officer who fatally shot him in February.
Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley announced the decision late Friday afternoon.
A video of the shooting was released to the public not long after the shooting.
"So many people reached out and said, 'What video were they looking at?'" Kimberly Blackshire-Lee, Blackshire's mother, said Saturday. "But we know this isn't over. We're still going to fight for justice."
On Saturday, friends and family members joined Blackshire-Lee at the picnic. Children played on a bounce-house and hunted Easter eggs hidden around East End Park, while adults milled around grills and a table laden with food.
Many at the gathering wore red and black, Blackshire's favorite colors and the colors of his clothing on the day he died.
Blackshire-Lee said her son loved family gatherings and playing with his nieces and nephews. She designed the picnic to incorporate all of his favorite things.
Also, she said, the family has been under stress in recent months and needed a break.
On Feb. 22, Little Rock Police Department officer Charles Starks confronted the 30-year-old Blackshire, who was driving a car that had been reported stolen, near West 12th Street and South Rodney Parham Road. Video shows that Blackshire did not comply with the officer's commands and the vehicle rolled forward, grazing the officer's hip.
Starks fired his weapon at least 15 times, killing Blackshire. Between bursts of gunfire, Starks moved in front of the vehicle, which then struck him.
In the weeks since, the Blackshire family, friends and supporters have rallied multiple times to demand first the release of dashboard camera footage of the shooting, then for the prosecution and firing of Starks, for the establishment of a citizen advisory board for the Police Department and for the purchase of body-worn cameras for all Little Rock police officers.
On Friday, Jegley wrote in a letter to Little Rock Police Chief Keith Humphrey that Starks would not face criminal charges.
"In a way I had prepared myself for this, for him not to be charged," Blackshire-Lee said. "My concern now is, there needs to be some department changes to prevent this from happening again and to improve the process when it does."
Blackshire-Lee said she went to the prosecuting attorney's office Friday to hear his decision in person.
"And I went home and cried," she said. "I didn't think it was accurate. I was looking at it, and I thought, 'Did you see something I didn't?'"
Friday's letter to Humphrey revealed for the first time that after the shooting, a weapon was found in the car Blackshire had been driving. It also provided details from Blackshire's passenger, Desaray Clarke. Clarke reported that at one point Blackshire had his hand in his pocket, "where he normally kept his gun," the letter said.
Blackshire-Lee said she disliked the fact that much of what was found after the shooting was included in the decision-making.
Jegley's letter referred to the 1989 U.S. Supreme Court Case Graham v. Connor, which in part says that an officer's actions must be judged from the officer's situation and understanding at the time, not from all the facts in hindsight.
Clarke's testimony and the evidence found in the vehicle, Blackshire-Lee said, were all things that came to light during the investigation and were not known at the time of the shooting.
"Nothing that happened after [the shooting] was important," Blackshire-Lee said. "[Starks] didn't even know my son's name when he stopped the car."
Blackshire-Lee said that though she disagreed with much of the prosecuting attorney's analysis, her focus now is on making a positive change out of a terrible situation.
"I think some good things are going to come of this, eventually," she said. "It can't bring my son back, but we can educate the community."
In the hours after Jegley's decision was made public, dozens of people took to social media to voice their approval or anger. Some agreed firmly with the decision; others found it unfair and unjust.
"It's going to bring a lot of anger to the community," said Brittany Walls, Blackshire's sister. "We don't feel safe. ... Even if they had charged him and he beat the charges, I'd feel better. We just feel like nothing was done."
A statement from Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police President Ronnie Morgan said the organization wasn't advocating for a particular outcome from the prosecuting attorney's office.
"What we, and I believe the citizens of Little Rock, wanted and expected was a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation and review," Morgan said. "We believe both were done, and the outcome was based on that."
As for Blackshire-Lee, she said her focus Saturday evening was on her family.
"With Bradley, it was always family first," she said. "It's Easter weekend, you know. I want the kids to be able to enjoy themselves."
A rally related to the Blackshire case is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at the state Capitol.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly summarized a statement from Ronnie Morgan. Morgan said his organization was not advocating for a particular outcome from the prosecuting attorney's office.
Metro on 04/21/2019