WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)�After a 10-month investigation, the U.S. Justice Department has found "insufficient evidence" to bring civil rights charges against the Prince George�s County, Md., police officer who shot a Howard University student to death in a case of mistaken identity last year.

Prince C. Jones Jr., a 25-year-old college student, son of a doctor, and personal fitness trainer died last Sept. 1 after being shot six times in the back by undercover narcotics detective Cpl. Carlton B. Jones (no relation) who had tailed the victim for two hours in an unmarked police car through Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia. His death resulted in three weeks of noisy protests, including a rally attended by more than 3,000 students and Howard University President Patrick Swygert last year.

The Justice Department report released July 6 said there was no evidence to contradict the officer�s contention that he acted in self-defense and that he used reasonable force when he fired 16 rounds into the back of the victim�s sport utility vehicle, after the vehicles collided. The details of that crash remain unclear.

"The death of Prince Jones was a terrible tragedy, but our thorough investigation did not reveal evidence that established that the police officer intended to use more force than he believed was reasonable," said William R. Yeomans, acting assistant attorney general for civil rights in a statement.

The federal investigation was "a sham from the start," Gregory Lattimer, an attorney for the family of Prince Jones, said, according to a published report.

"This is a bunch of foolishness. This case stinks to high heaven," said the attorney who is representing the family in a $145 million civil suit against the officer and the county.

"I�m not surprised, quite frankly," Ronald Hampton, executive director of the National Black Police Association told The Final Call.

Regardless of who is president or attorney general, federal authorities are "not going to go after the incidences of police misconduct, racial profiling and police brutality, that people like us�citizens and other police accountability groups�have come to recognize as �business-as-usual-behavior� of police departments. It�s going to take citizens like us to take control of our police departments, and hold them accountable," he insisted.

Authorities have not given a full account of what led to the shooting. Prince George�s County police first said they were following Prince Jones because they suspected him of stealing an officer�s handgun, and possibly dealing drugs. They later acknowledged that they had targeted the wrong man.

The death of Mr. Jones came at the end of a 13-month period in which the county police in Prince George�s Maryland�the county where the wealthiest and best-educated Blacks reside in the entire U.S.�shot 12 people, five fatally, and beat two other men to death.

The Jones report was released on the same day County Executive Wayne Curry (D) announced reforms intended to make his police force more responsible and accountable in its use of deadly force�reforms which stopped short of calling for the replacement of police chief John S. Farrell.

Mr. Curry�who announced similar reforms last year at the time of the shooting of Prince Jones�made his latest announcement in the wake of a devastating Washington Post investigation that found that from 1990 through 2000, county officers shot and killed people at rates exceeding those of nearly every other large police force in the nation.

The newspaper report revealed that all 122 shootings�47 of which were fatal�were ruled justified by police officials. Several county lawmakers and community leaders said they had lost confidence in the police chief, calling for his resignation. Last year, the county chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police considered a non-binding "no-confidence" vote on the chief�s performance in office.