Missouri prosecutor clears officers in deadly shootings

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - A southwest Missouri prosecutor has ruled that officers were justified in using deadly force in two separate incidents during 2013.

KYTV reports (http://bit.ly/JsDgVt ) Greene County prosecutor Dan Patterson issued the rulings Tuesday.

On Feb. 22, Springfield police investigating commercial burglaries shot and killed 29-year-old Martin Potts. The officers said Potts opened fire as they tried to execute a search warrant at a Springfield home.

One shot grazed a detective, and the officers returned fire.

Greene County sheriff's deputies shot and killed 33-year-old Joshua Ford on Dec. 1 after a homeowner reported a suspicious man near the town of Bois D'Arc (BOH' dark). The deputies said Ford charged them with what he claimed was a gun. It turned out to be a cellphone wrapped in a piece of clothing.