The St. Louis police officer who fatally shot 17-year-old Emeshyon Wilkins as the teenager ran from police in 2024 will not face criminal charges, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office said Friday.
Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore’s office concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Brett Carlson’s decision to use deadly force was objectively unreasonable under Missouri law.
The decision comes more than two years after Wilkins was killed and months after body-camera footage contradicted an initial police account that the teenager had turned and pointed a gun at officers. The video shows Wilkins running away before Carlson fires.
Carlson told investigators he saw a gun in Wilkins’ hand during the pursuit and feared the teenager might use it against officers approaching from the opposite direction. Prosecutors do not contend that Wilkins turned and pointed the gun at Carlson, as police initially reported. SLMPD later acknowledged that its initial account did not accurately reflect what was established through the investigation and body-camera footage.
Asked by The St. Louis American whether investigators found inconsistencies between Carlson’s account and the body-camera footage, Gore said his office reviewed the video multiple times but could not conclusively determine whether Wilkins was holding the gun during the pursuit.
Carlson told investigators he believed Wilkins held the firearm in his right hand at a “low ready” position.
“One thing the body cam footage does establish is that the firearm was in very close proximity to [Emeshyon’s] right hand,” Gore said. “Can we say whether he was holding it or not conclusively? That is something that’s inconclusive.”
Albert Watkins, an attorney representing Wilkins’ family, sharply criticized the decision.
“The decision is tragic,” Watkins told The American. “It’s evidence of further disregard by our city, by our police, by our circuit attorney.”
Watkins also challenged the prosecutor’s account of how many shots Carlson fired. Gore’s office said Carlson fired three shots. Watkins said he has repeatedly reviewed video and listened to audio from the shooting and maintains four shots were fired. The family’s amended federal lawsuit also alleges Carlson fired four shots at Wilkins as he fled.
“If he did a thorough job, a thorough job of evaluating this case, why does he not know the number of shots fired?” Watkins said.
The June 18, 2024, encounter began when plainclothes Anti-Crime Task Force officers spotted a stolen Mazda SUV driven by Wilkins, according to prosecutors. The Mazda initially fled at a high rate of speed. After officers deployed spike strips, it continued on damaged tires at about 15 mph.
An officer following the Mazda reported over the radio that the driver had a gun in his hand. Wilkins and two other teenagers eventually jumped from the moving vehicle in the 4200 block of St. Louis Avenue.
Wilkins ran into an alley with Carlson pursuing him. Body-camera footage shows Carlson ordering Wilkins to get on the ground and drop a gun as Wilkins continued running. About five seconds into the direct pursuit, Carlson fired, according to prosecutors.
Police recovered a 10mm Glock with a flashlight attached protruding from Wilkins’ right pants pocket. The gun had no magazine inserted and its slide was detached when recovered. Prosecutors said investigators could not determine whether the slide became detached when Wilkins fell or whether he had been carrying it detached.
The family’s lawsuit goes further, alleging the firearm was disassembled into multiple pieces and incapable of being fired.
Carlson told investigators he feared Wilkins would encounter officers approaching from the opposite direction and “either … shoot at them or turn back around and kind of shoot at me.”
Gore said his office’s review was limited to whether Carlson could be criminally prosecuted, not whether he violated Police Department policies or could face civil liability. SLMPD said Friday that its Internal Affairs Division will conduct an administrative review to determine whether department policies and procedures were followed.
Watkins said his office was notified of Gore’s decision about one minute before it was publicly announced.
“How am I expected to explain this to a mom or to a dad in one minute before they start getting called by media, by friends, by enemies?” Watkins said.
Watkins said Carlson remains employed by SLMPD and has been assigned to desk duty throughout the investigation.
Wilkins’ parents, Shaina Wilkins and Emanuel Mays, are pursuing federal civil-rights and wrongful-death claims against Carlson and the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners. The lawsuit remains pending.
“We are not in any way swayed by the decision of the circuit attorney,” Watkins said.
In an April interview, Shaina Wilkins spoke about the unusually close bond she shared with her son.
“I was 17 when I had him and he was 17 when he got killed,” she said. “So, we kind of grew up together.”
She acknowledged that her son “probably wasn’t making the best decisions” but said he deserved the opportunity to learn from them.
“He was a kid,” she said. “He should still be here right now.”
Asked then what justice would mean to her, Wilkins said: “I want officer Carlson to go to jail.”
On Friday, prosecutors announced that he will not.