Nation : Grand Jury Absolves Man Who Chased, Slew Woman’s Killer

A grand jury today declined to indict a man who pulled out his .44 magnum pistol and killed a murder suspect after seeing the assailant fatally shoot a woman in the parking lot of a suburban shopping mall.

The Dallas County grand jury’s action means Todd Alan Broom, 25, will not be tried in the death of Eddie Edwards, 41, despite warnings from prosecutors that the shooting could set a dangerous precedent if citizens view him as a hero. Broom testified before the grand jury for about 15 minutes on Monday.

“I don’t see his actions were legally justified under the law as I read it, but I can understand what the grand jury did as human beings,” Assistant Dist. Atty. Norm Kinne said today. “As a citizen and resident of the area, I can understand what they did.”

Broom, a quiet copier repairman and pizza parlor owner from Irving, has said he fired his gun after seeing Edwards shoot Demetria Yvonne Taylor, 28, his ex-girlfriend, in the head at the Irving Mall on March 12.

Broom has said Edwards refused to stop when he shouted at him so he fired one shot into the trunk of Edwards’ car and then fired another into the driver’s side door. Police have said the second shot hit Edwards, who drove his car onto a nearby highway and then into a post.