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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Prosecutors won’t bring charges against two suburban St. Louis police officers who fatally shot a teenager inside a car.

St. Charles County Prosecutor Timothy Lohmar said in a letter to the O’Fallon officers’ police chief that the officers believed their lives and the community’s safety were at risk when they fatally shot 17-year-old Christopher Jones in January, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

What You Need To Know

  • O'Fallon police officers won't be charged with fatal shooting of teen suspect

  • Prosecutor: Officers had legal justification to fire their weapons
  • Officers didn't know vehicle was stolen at time of the encounter 

  • Officers have been on administrative leave

The St. Charles County Police released the video to ensure transparency during its independent investigation of the incident. Capt. David Tiefenbrunn explains in the video that the first officer on the scene saw two people sleeping in the can and waited for the second officer to arrive to approach the vehicle. 

The body camera video of the encounter shows the officer approaching the driver’s side with his gun drawn and ordering the driver to open the door. When he failed to do so, the officer smashed the window with his gun.

Tiefenbrunn says the second officer, on the passenger side of the car, also gave a command to open the doors, which was ignored. He said the first officer then saw the occupants had a firearm. The body cam video then shows the officer using his duty weapon to break the driver's side window. The driver reversed into a patrol car parked behind it and the officers fired multiple shots into the car.  The driver was hit twice while he sped off.  

The 17-year-old passenger was not injured and was arrested after a few blocks away when the car came to a stop.  There is also police body cam video showing officers surrounding the car, asking the driver to show his hands. Officers later realized the driver is unconscious.

Police said a handgun that had been reported stolen was found in the teens’ car. Lohmar told reporters the vehicle was not known to be stolen at the time officers were dispatched to the neighborhood, but later learned it had been stolen.

Lohmar said he reviewed the body-worn camera footage hundreds of times before reaching the conclusion that the officers were justified in their actions. 

"It's disturbing. I don't like what I saw. Knowing the results makes it all that much more tragic....We are bound to examine what that officer reasonably believed in that moment in time." Lohmar's office made the determination that the officers believed their lives or the lives of others were in danger.

"You never want to victim blame but in a situation like this the deceased young man could have made one, maybe two decisions differently and we wouldn't even be here. Officers never set out to discharge their weapon, last thing in the world they want to do is use their weapon, especially in a lethal force situation."

O'Fallon police did not return a request for comment Friday. You can watch the entire video clip here.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.