3 With Slain Store Suspect Won’t Be Charged

Police will not press shoplifting charges against the three companions of a black man whose death outside a shopping center sparked protests.

Chief Ron Deziel said Friday that the decision was made despite store surveillance videotapes that he said pointed to shoplifting by the man’s common-law wife and two children.

“Because this case has received so much publicity . . . I think we would be severely criticized if we brought charges,” Deziel said.

The death June 22 of Frederick Finley sparked accusations of racial profiling and a protest outside the Lord & Taylor store. Finley, 32, died after he was subdued by store security guards investigating the alleged shoplifting.

A part-time guard, also black, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Activists claim the store uses black security workers to scrutinize minority shoppers to avoid the appearance of discrimination. A store representative declined comment.