AG drops charge of ex-cop in black man's death, a local prosecutor asks why

District Attorney Scott Colom says Attorney General Lynn Fitch had bad timing in dropping a manslaughter charge against a white former police officer in the death of a black man, given protests erupting across the country over similar killings. He says this isn’t personal but rather a quest for truth and healing in the Columbus community.

“What it is about is the manslaughter charge for Ricky Ball and the truth about what happened,” said Colom. “[It’s] about making sure the people have trust in the criminal justice system.”

“Because at some point when this all blows over, I’m going to be the person along with other local officials that are going to have to deal with the distrust,” he said.

Ricky Ball of Columbus was a 26-year-old man when he was shot to death after a traffic stop by former Columbus police officer Canyon Boykin. Boykin pleaded not guilty in 2016 after being indicted for manslaughter.

In a brief statement, Fitch says her office reviewed the case and determined Boykin acted in self-defense.

Colom says he's not critical of Fitch’s decision to dismiss the case but he says people deserve more information on the evidence. The fatal officer-involved shooting drew a lot of suspicion and sparked protests in Columbus - a mostly black city in northeast Mississippi.

“That’s why my next step has been requesting the attorney general give my office the evidence as soon as possible so that I can reveal it and answer those questions... so people can feel like the truth is out there and they can make up their own minds as to whether the decision was proper or not,” said Colom.

Colom says he expects to have more information on the evidence this week.