Officers involved in fatal shooting over stolen Pokemon Cards will not be charged

Two deputy police officers will not be charged after they were involved in the fatal shooting of a teenager over stolen Pokémon cards.

The deadly shooting occurred in April 2022, when three men attempted to steal Pokémon trading cards and pizza from a Target in Florida.

A grand jury has since cleared both officers of any wrongdoing in the incident, and is expected to provide recommendations and further comments in the future.

The incident occurred after two men, 18-year-old Micheal Gomez and 19-year-old Joseph Lowe were allegedly caught trying to place the stolen items into a backpack.

After they left the store, they were stopped by police in a car being driven by a third man, Jayden Baez.

When attempting to apprehend the men for shoplifting, Baez reportedly tried to use his vehicle to ram the pair. The officers then fired into the car resulting in the death of Baez and injury to Lowe and Gomez.

Lowe and Gomez have also had charges of shoplifting raised against them dropped.

The men launched a civil suit against Target, with their attorneys holding the store responsible for their injuries and the death of Baez.

Perhaps surprisingly, this isn’t the only incident where the theft of Pokemon Trading Cards have been connected to a fatality. A Gamestop clerk was charged last October for fatally shooting a man suspected of shoplifting “ultra-premium” Pokemon cards.