Manslaughter charge against OPD officer dropped

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - The State Attorney's Office has dropped a manslaughter charge against an Orlando police officer.

A grand jury previously indicted Officer Anthony Wongshue in the killing a shop-lifting suspect involved in a crime last year.  However, the state now says there is not enough evidence of wrongdoing to convict him. 

Wongshue and another officer were at Colonial Plaza, responding to a crash, when they were flagged down by employees at a Marshalls store, alerting them to two women were accused of shoplifting.  The women got into a van driven by Juan Silva. Wongshue and the other officer shot at the 32-year-old Silva, who later died.  

The other officer had already been cleared in the shooting incident earlier this year.  Wongshue remains on administrative leave.

State Attorney Aramis Ayala issued a statement after dropping the charges saying that current state law would make it difficult to obtain a conviction.

"It is imperative that the community work to change the laws...my office must uphold, going forward," Aramis added.

The Fraternal Order of Police had expressed displeasure when the indictment was announced, stating that the case should have been resolved beforehand. 

"Orlando Police Officers and their peers around this country put their lives on the line for their respective communities every single day," the organization wrote in a release sent to FOX 35. "They should not have to fear prosecution for defending themselves, citizens and the lives of their fellow Law Enforcement Officers."

Aramis said they intend to host a series of community meetings to discuss how they reached their decision.