KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced Friday that no charges will be filed in the November Independence officer-involved shooting that left a baby and her mother dead. On November 7, 2024, Independence police officers responded to a domestic incident at the Oval S pring Apartments off 291 Highway. After documenting the witness's injuries, officers determined they had enough evidence to arrest the woman, identified as Maria Pike, for assault. Officers entered the apartment where they found Pike in a bedroom closet, holding her infant. Body camera footage released by IPD shows Pike communicating solely through gestures. IPD says they then requested a crisis intervention team and requested the children's division as well. ‘I can’t breathe’: Video shows KCPD officer arresting man in grocer As the bodycam footage continues, it shows Pike moving out of the closet into the bedroom. She then suddenly grabbed a large knife from a bedside table and lunged at an officer while still holding her child. With no space to retreat, the officer fired four shots, striking both Pike and her infant child. Both PIke and the child, identified as Destinii, died from their injuries. “We did not arrive at this decision lightly. The loss of a young mother and her infant are devastating and tragic,” Johnson said. “However, as prosecutors, we are bound by an oath to apply the law and analyze facts without being guided by the sympathy we feel for all those impacted. Our purpose is to determine if what was done was reasonable, defined by Missouri law, and not whether it was the best course of action.” Under Missouri law, police officers are allowed to use deadly force when they reasonably believe the person is attempting to escape by using a deadly weapon or when the person may endanger life or inflict serious physical injury unless arrested, according to the prosecutor's release. The prosecutor's news release says that, under that law, the officer who fired was authorized to use deadly force if he reasonably believed the shooting was immediately necessary. The release also says that when analyzing the harm done to bystanders, in this case, the infant, they must determine if the officer acted intentionally or with recklessness toward the bystander. Criminal recklessness is, “conscious disregarding of a substantial and unjustifiable risk” and a “gross deviation from the standard of care." After Pike's sister and Destinii's aunt said that the officer could have done more to protect the lives of her family and that she believed it was a murder case, the prosecutor's office will file no charges. Local attorney Gregory Watt spoke in the law and how it relates to used of force on Friday. “The big three are: Was the use of force reasonable? Was the use of force proportionable? Was the use of force, in the situation where the person using it, did not have the ability to retreat?” he said. “At the time, the question is, what does that officer know in that snapshot of time given the threat of serious physical injury and/or death from the officer’s perspective? The other thing is, yes, at the time what is known is highly important, but there are also aspects that lead up to that situation, that an officer might get from dispatch,” Watt added. The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office says if an officer is met with deadly force, deadly force can be used in return. "The evidence in this case shows the officer responded to an immediate threat of deadly force when the woman approached the officers with the butcher knife; the suddenness of the attack—just seconds from the knife appearing to shots fired—left no time for a different response; and the officer had no space to retreat," Johnson's news release reads. FOX4 Forecast: Severe storm risk this afternoon Johnson said the officer's use of deadly force is protected under Missouri law and evidence is insufficient to prove the officer intentionally shot the infant. “We recognize the profound loss suffered by the families and our entire community and frankly wish that circumstances were handled differently. However, that is not the role of this Committee or this Office. Rather, our review of this incident is ethically and legally limited to determining only whether criminal charges are appropriate,” Johnson said. “While this decision may not bring the closure many seek, especially given the weight of this tragedy, we are issuing this letter to uphold our commitment to transparency.” As a reminder, the Police Involved Investigative Team, an agency not involved in the shooting, presented the case to the prosecutor's office. ...read more read less