The family of Irishman Andrew Hanlon say they are devastated by the grand jury decision that cleared the officer who shot and killed Andrew of any wrongdoing.
Andrew James Hanlon (right) from Dundrum in Dublin had been living in the state of Oregon when he was shot five times last month by police officer Tony Gonzalez.
A statement from the District Attorney's Office said Mr Gonzalez (left) had lawfully used deadly physical force.
Officer Gonzalez shot the 20-year-old while retreating, and a witness told authorities that the young man had been trying to strike the officer while ignoring commands to stop.
Andrew's sister Melanie Heise and her husband Nathan held a news conference in Oregon today. Andrew was living with them in the small town of Silverton.
'I acknowledge that my dear brother was disturbed, and perhaps even agitated, on that night,' Ms Heise told reporters. 'What does not make sense to me is how it is, over and over again, in Oregon and elsewhere, that a confrontation between law enforcement and a person with mental illness ends up with the mentally ill person dead, law enforcement 'justified' and nothing changed.'
She added: 'In Andrew's name, I will commit myself to finding ways to solve this problem. I do not intend to let go of these questions, and we intend to continue to press to understand what happened.'
Andrew's mother Dorothea Hanlon (right), who was in Ireland when the decision was announced, said the jury's statement just added salt to the wounds.
The 35-year-old police officer was on administrative leave pending the investigation into the fatal shooting.
13 witnesses, including four police officers, testified before the grand jury.
Officer Gonzalez was not among them, but a videotape of his interview with detectives was shown to jurors.
Mr Hanlon's sister, Melanie Heise, and brother-in-law live in Silverton, a small town 72km south of Portland.
He came to the US from Ireland last summer and remained illegally after his visa expired.
Investigators had released little information about the death before yesterday.
Conspiracy accusations
The attorney's office said in a statement that it would provide many details in an effort to combat the accusations of a conspiracy or a cover-up that had arisen.
Silverton resident Shannon Kelley heard someone pounding on her front door late at night and saw a man, later identified as Mr Hanlon, acting strangely, the statement said.
Ms Kelley said she asked him to leave but Mr Hanlon demanded to enter.
Though Mr Hanlon was unarmed, he allegedly yelled that he had a sword and gestured as if he had one.
Ms Kelley, who phoned police, said Mr Hanlon 'howled at the moon' and at one point screamed that he was the 'angel of death'.
Ms Kelley said she and her parents visiting from Montana had to put their bodies against the door to stop Mr Hanlon from breaking it down.
After repeatedly hurling his body against the door, Mr Hanlon reportedly ran barefoot towards a nearby street, where he ran into Officer Gonzalez.
The officer told investigators he heard the sound of shattering glass and thought Mr Hanlon might be brandishing a broken bottle.
Investigators now think Mr Hanlon merely bumped into a recycling bin.
Officer Gonzalez said he ordered Mr Hanlon to show his hands and get down on the ground. After repeating the command, Mr Hanlon appeared ready to comply.
Instead, he allegedly leaped at the officer, kicking and screaming.
The officer then shot Mr Hanlon.
A witness who happened to be driving by backed the officer's story.
