Blakely told the courtroom that after weighing the evidence with the community’s interest in seeing Taylor’s case go to trial, “the balance falls in favor of granting [the dismissal] motion.”
The move has sparked outrage from Taylor’s family and their supporters, who say they have been waiting nearly six years for justice in the case slated to go to trial next month.
Last month, a different judge denied a motion by Fletcher’s defense to dismiss the case over alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
On Tuesday, District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson filed the motion to drop the charges, writing that Fletcher “was left with no reasonable alternative.”
“Fletcher, in a confined space, was confronted by Taylor, who was armed, refused to comply with verbal commands, was tased twice without appreciable effect, and had verbally indicated an intention to force Fletcher to use physical force up to and including his firearm,” the motion reads.
On April 18, 2020, Fletcher was the first to respond to the scene after Walmart security guards reported Taylor attempting to shoplift. Cell phone and body camera footage from the day shows Taylor carrying a metal baseball bat by the store entrance.
