An outgoing George Soros-funded prosecutor in St. Louis will not press charges against a woman allegedly involved in a shooting over the weekend.
Kim Gardner, the top prosecutor in St. Louis who announced her resignation last week, decided to drop charges against a suspect in a shooting on Saturday. Amber Booker, 33, was arrested after the incident left two people shot during a Cinco de Mayo festival. Police shared a photograph of a woman suspected to be Booker holding a gun, but Gardner’s office said there is a "lack of evidence" to prosecute.
It’s the latest controversial decision from Gardner, who resigned her position last week after a legal battle with Missouri’s attorney general, who said she "lost the trust of the people" and neglected her duties.
Both Gardner’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns were bankrolled by Soros, the billionaire known for funding the campaigns of far-left prosecutors.
Gardner faced bipartisan calls for her removal following several cases in which she made unpopular decisions.
In February, a teenage volleyball player lost her legs after she was struck by a car driven by a criminal on bond. The man had violated the terms of his bond several dozen times but was not held in custody.
In April, Garner’s office withheld evidence in a double homicide case, after which a judge allowed the suspect to be released on bail.
Gardner was widely criticized in March for the crime in her city when a video emerged of a man executing a homeless man on a St. Louis street.
"Unfortunately, since the time I took office, as the first Black, female prosecutor in the state, people outside of the city have targeted me and, to advance their goals, have also targeted the fundamental rights of the city's voters," Gardner said in her resignation letter last week. Her resignation will be effective on June 1.
An investigation by Fox News found that 35.8 percent of cases under Gardner's supervision in 2020 were not prosecuted.
Gardner’s resignation came as Soros-backed prosecutors are facing backlash across the country. Chesa Boudin, the former prosecutor in San Francisco, was ousted in a June 2022 recall election amid soaring crime in his city. House Republicans are investigating Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, who they claim is politically prosecuting former president Donald Trump and ignoring rising crime.