Prince’s family and fans have expressed their disappointment after prosecutors announced this week that no one would face charges over his fatal accidental overdose.
The singer’s cousin Charles Smith joined scores of fans who gathered at Paisley Park to remember Prince on the second anniversary of his death.
While the tone was mostly one of celebration in honor of the Purple Rain singer, there was an undercurrent of anger that, after authorities announced that, following a two year investigation, no one was to be held accountable for Prince’s tragic death.
Prince’s cousin Charles Smith (pictured) joined scores of fans who gathered at Paisley Park to remember Prince on the second anniversary of his death
The tone was mostly one of celebration in honor of the Purple Rain singer, there was an undercurrent of anger that, after authorities announced that, following a two year investigation, no one was to be held accountable for Prince’s tragic death
Smith told CBS that the prosecutor’s decision not to press charges had hit his family hard.
‘I knew I wasn’t going to be happy about it because Prince isn’t walking around here,’ he said, adding that he still had ‘nothing but respect’ for law enforcement for their thorough investigation.
But he added that he wouldn’t stop looking for answers.
‘I’m going to find out what happened until I’m satisfied. I don’t care what anybody else thinks, I just want to be satisfied,’ Smith said.
Some of Prince’s fans were also furious over the decision.
Thirty-nine-year-old Kimberlee Andrus of Austin, Minnesota, attended the news conference Thursday where Carver County Attorney Mark Metz made the announcement.
Fans gathered at Paisley Park to remember the singer on the two year anniversary of his death
Some fans said they were simply happy the investigation was finished. ‘It’s totally over and we can kind of enjoy his music in peace,’ Rebecca Taylor (pictured) said
The prosecutor said investigators were unable to determine who supplied the counterfeit opioid drugs that killed Prince.
Andrus, who wore a purple sweater and has a tattoo of Prince’s love symbol, called the announcement was ‘devastating.’
‘Somebody should be held accountable for the dosages and what he was receiving,’ Andrus said. ‘I just feel devastated nothing is going to be done.
She added that Prince deserves for the truth to come out, and she doesn’t think it will.
Andrus is among the many fans who plans to participate in a candlelight vigil Friday night outside Paisley Park, Prince’s former estate, where he was found dead on April 21, 2016.
Prince (pictured in 2009 in Paris) was found dead from an accidental drugs overdose at his home
Other fans said they were simply happy the investigation was finished.
‘It’s totally over and we can kind of enjoy his music in peace,’ Rebecca Taylor said.
Prince’s longtime musical collaborator Sheila E., who performed an homage to the singer at the gathering on Thursday, said: ‘I don’t want to be sad anymore.’
‘And I’m not sad anymore. These are tears of joy.’
Sheila E. kicked off the four day festival in Prince’s honor which will feature a fDeluxe concert, talks, and Friday’s ‘Prince: Live on the Big Screen’ event.
The event was held the same day that the State of Minnesota ended its investigation into Prince’s death without criminal charges.
The 57-year-old singer’s death was ruled an accident, and the only listed cause on the medical examiner’s report was ‘Fentanyl toxicity’.
Federal authorities said they haven’t gotten any credible evidence to support charges either.
Carver County Attorney Mark Metz, right, announces at a press conference Thursday, April 19, 2018 in Chaska, Minn., that no criminal charges will be filed in the death of musician Prince in 2016
Carver County Attorney Mark Metz announced Thursday that investigators had found no evidence to charge anyone in the case.
Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg who is accused of illegally prescribing an opioid painkiller for Prince just one week before the musician died has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a federal civil violation.
Dr Michael Todd Schulenberg, who has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a federal civil violation over Prince’s death is seen in an undated file photo
‘The bottom line is we simply do not have sufficient evidence to charge anyone with a crime related to Prince’s death,’ Mark Metz, the attorney of Carver County, home to Prince’s Paisley Park estate, told reporters.
Others who cared for the singer are still waiting to see if state prosecutors file any criminal charges following their two-year investigation into the Prince’s death.
‘To actively charge a crime requires probable cause and a reasonable likelihood of conviction. The bottom line is that we simply do not have sufficient evidence to charge anyone with a crime related to Prince’s death,’ said Mark Metz, the Carver County attorney on Thursday.
He says Prince thought he was taking Vicodin pills, not the fentanyl that killed him, and there was no evidence anyone around Prince knew the pills were counterfeit.
After Metz’s announcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis issued a statement saying it hasn’t received any credible evidence that would support federal criminal charges. The office said it wouldn’t comment further.
A law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press that the federal investigation is now inactive unless new information comes forward. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the case remains open.