Federal prosecutors announced today that no charges will be filed against the two off-duty D.C. police officers who were involved in the fatal shooting of 14-year-old DeOnté Rawlings on Sept. 17, 2007.

Officers James Haskel and Anthony Clay were riding in Haskel’s SUV on the night of the killing, looking for a minibike stolen from Haskel’s garage in Southeast. The officers, who were off-duty and not in uniform, said they found Rawlings on the bike, that he fired on them with a gun before they had time to identify themselves as police, and that Haskel then got out of his SUV, chased Rawlings, and fired back. Rawlings died of a gunshot wound to the back of his head, and bruises and scrapes were found on his body.

The gun that Rawlings allegedly fired was not recovered, but police did later find a gun in the home of Clifton Coleman, 18, a friend of Rawlings, that matched shell casings from a .45-caliber gun that were found at the scene. Still, there have never been any satisfactory answers about how Rawlings was shot in the back of the head, whether he was definitely carrying a gun and fired on the officers, and why, after getting out of his car and chasing Rawlings, Haskel apparently never had time to identify himself as a police officer.

The Rawlings family has continued to maintain that DeOnté would never have carried a gun. They later filed a $100 million lawsuit against the city, which remains pending.

Mayor Adrian Fenty released the following statement after the decision not to prosecute the officers was announced:

“The death of Deonte Rawlings was a tragic loss for his family and the entire community continues to mourn for them. After an exhaustive, independent investigation, the US Attorney and FBI have rendered their opinion. It is important that all members of the community respect the legal process. Now that this process is complete, we will work to ensure that the community and our officers who put their lives on the line everyday continue to heal together.”

The Washington Post says that it’s not yet clear when the officers will be able to return to work. Internal affairs must first complete a review to decide whether the officers followed procedures, which could take up to 90 days. Both officers have been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.

The MPD has declined to comment on the decision.