Video: Shumpert Family And Attorney React To Grand Jury Decision

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – The Attorney for the family of Antwun “Ronnie” Shumpert, Carlos Moore,  held a press conference Monday reacting to the grand jury decision clearing officer Tyler Cook of any wrong doing.

“The new Sheriff is in town, and I’m going to remain in town, until we get justice for this family,” says Moore.

Moore says the family is incredibly disappointed in the grand jury decision, and feels the failure to indict is not justified.

“There’s something hardhearted about the people of Tupelo and Robert E. Lee County, that they just would not do the right thing, and if they can’t take the flag down, I knew that they wouldn’t ever return a true bill against Tyler Cook.”

Tears, anger, and emotion took over Ronnie Shumpert’s widow, Peggy Shumpert, as she was at loss for words over the decision not to charge Tupelo Police Officer Tyler Cook.

“My husband is in the grave, and for what? For running? And you call it justified? Where is it justified?”

Attorney Moore says moving forward is what’s next.

“Our priority is to make sure that the Federal Bureau Investigation Department of Justice continues to take this case seriously,  and we want this man behind bars because any settlement that we get in the civil lawsuit,  likely will not come out of the personal pockets of Tyler Cook, but we want him to pay, and the way he’ll pay is to go to prison.”

Moore says they will continue with their own investigation,  and with the civil suit against the city, which he expects to go to trial next year.

“It’s hit home.  It’s come home to Tupelo, and Tupelo needs to get ready to pay because it happened here in Tupelo, and Tupelo is the one responsible.”

Moore was quite blunt that race could weigh heavily if the Federal government pursues a criminal civil rights case against Cook.

“I’m encouraged that our current President, Barack Obama. Our current Attorney General  is Loretta Lynch. Our current U.S. Attorney is Felicia Adams, the FBI agent in charge of this investigation is a black man as well, so you have 4 black people that’s looking into this investigation, and so the family is very encouraged that they could get justice.”

After the press conference, the Shumpert family and Attorney Moore met with the FBI to learn about the path forward in the federal criminal investigation

Moore says he will let the FBI decide if he can tell the public if they are pursuing Federal charges.