No criminal charges in Olathe police shooting of man at Wal-Mart

The Johnson County district attorney has ruled that Olathe police officers did not violate Kansas law in the fatal shooting of a man last month outside a Wal-Mart store.

Walter Echols was fatally shot Nov. 27 outside a Wal-Mart near Santa Fe Street and Kansas 7.

Police said that Echols, 50, of Cypress, Texas, was armed with a blunt object during a disturbance outside the store.

One officer was struck by the object, and officers attempted to subdue Echols by nonlethal means before he was shot, according to police.

District Attorney Steve Howe said Wednesday in a written statement that after reviewing reports of the county’s multijurisdictional team that investigates officer-involved shootings, he determined that the use of deadly force by officers was justified under Kansas law.

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 3:02 PM with the headline "No criminal charges in Olathe police shooting of man at Wal-Mart."