“The court finds probable cause for manslaughter,” said Judge Debra Moses Stephens April 21 after hearing testimony at the public inquest from 31 witnesses. “The court finds Officer Darren Cogoni responsible for the death of Jerrod Miller.” The ruling is not binding, however. The state attorney has not decided on whether to charge the cop.

The inquest into the February 26 killing was forced by community protests. Hundreds joined the actions on at least two occasions since Miller’s death at the hands of the police. At one community forum 250 people lined up to speak on the case. The protests also forced the city authorities to open the inquest to the public, where members of the community could view the proceedings.

Miller was the second Black killed by cops in the previous five months, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Another Black resident was wounded in a shooting by cops.

Miller was shot after dropping off friends at a school dance at Delray Full Service Center. Cogoni reportedly asked him for his driver’s license. Miller, who did not have a license, then drove away. Cogoni and another cop chased after the car and the former shot twice, with one bullet striking Miller in the back of the head and killing him.

Cogoni did not appear at the inquest but claimed in a videotape statement that he shot at Miller with the intention of protecting students who were in the path of the car. However, none of the witnesses who testified during the hearings said they saw people near the car at the time of the shooting. At least one student said Miller drove off after the cop reached for his gun. “I guess he saw a gun and got scared,” Altonette Jacobs, 16, told the inquest, according to the Sun Sentinel.

School Assistant Principal Jerry McAdoo said he opened his office door after hearing the shots and saw Cogoni, the Sun Sentinel reported. The cop ordered McAdoo back into his office. McAdoo then looked out the window to see what was going on. “I didn’t see anyone,” he said, “just the car. I saw no one.”

From his window, McAdoo explained, “You can see everything. You can see this whole parking lot.” Others on the scene corroborated McAdoo’s assessment that the car did not pose a danger to anyone.

After the judge at the inquest found cause for manslaughter charges against Cogoni, Victor Williams, Miller’s cousin, told the Miami Herald that the cop is “a risk for the whole community. He should be charged.”  
 
 
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