The headline should read probable cause found rather than officer charged.

Things have to change. Any other citizen would be charged immediately by the prosecutor. Prosecutors have to work with police and fear work slowdowns or backlash from police unions. Prosecutors know citizens are upset when police kill unarmed people. The Grand Jury is used as a scapegoat. The process is held in secret in most cases. The prosecutor can be as benign or aggressive as he/she wants. If the Grand Jury indicts or finds no reason to go to trial, the prosecutor is not fully responsible. If it goes to trial, the prosecutor my be torn about how aggressive they should be. A possible solution is to have special prosecutors for police involved citizen assaults or homicides.

The officer who shot Tamir Rice said that he had no choice. The officer told another officer that he told the 12-year old to drop the weapon. No witnesses heard the warning. Tamir Rice had no chance to comply with any order. The shooter had been fired from another police department for instability around firearms. Prosecutors are pathetic when it comes to dealing with murders committed by police. If the officers go to trial, the prosecutor does not have to take responsibility.  If there is a trial, the prosecutor cannot be trusted to put forth a good faith effort to convict the cops.