NASCAR star Tony Stewart will not face criminal charges resulting from the death of Kevin Ward Jr., who was struck and killed by Stewart in a race this summer.
A grand jury investigating the case decided earlier today to close the potential case against Stewart, citing no evidence of legal wrongdoing on his part.
On the night of his death, Kevin Ward Jr. was killed by Stewart's car, a tragedy by any measure, but one that many felt also may have been a criminal act.
Ward got out of his car and aggressively moved toward Stewart's vehicle, which hit him seconds later and was seen in a video that shocked the sports world.
There was suspicion after the accident that Stewart was angry with Ward Jr. over an incident earlier in the race and may have intentionally swerved into him.
He denied this, and apparently the grand jury agreed, determining that it was nothing more than an accident and declining to pursue a case against him.
Investigators claimed to have "enhanced video" of the crash that killed Ward. Whatever it included that the viral clip did not, it didn't sway the grand jury.
Officials say the footage, raw or enhanced, did not show Tony making any sudden or suspicious moves on the track before the collision with Ward.
Investigators also say that experts reenacted the crash and evaluated factors such as the speed of Tony's car, reaction times, distance and more.
None of that suggested any foul play, ill intent or even anything out of the ordinary regarding Stewart's driving, no matter what bad blood may have existed.
Officials also say Kevin Ward Jr. was high on marijuana at the time of his death, though this did not impact whether or not to pursue a case against Stewart.
Story developing ...
R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014). He will forever be missed!
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