Nearly two years after the fatal shooting, the Justice Department has decided not to pursue federal civil rights charges against the four New York City police officers who gunned down Amadou Diallo, an unarmed West African immigrant in New York. The U.S. Justice Department yesterday decided not to pursue federal civil rights charges against the officers who killed Amadou Diallo in a hail of 41 bullets outside his Bronx apartment on February 4, 1999. The four officers — Kenneth Boss, Sean Carroll, Edward McMellon and Richard Murphy — were acquitted of murder and other charges in a state criminal trial last year. The officers all testified Diallo’s fatal shooting was a tragic mistake, claiming they thought he was reaching for a gun in a dimly lit vestibule of his building. Diallo, it was revealed, was actually reaching for his wallet. Kadiatou Diallo, Amadou’s mother, said, “I cannot convey to you the sadness I feel by hearing this decision.” She added, she has found justice very elusive since she came to the United States shortly after her son’s death. Amadou Diallo’s father, Saikou, is still convinced that the officers have not been punished for his son’s death. Shortly after Diallo’s death, U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White announced her office had begun the civil rights probe. White’s office also has a separate, broader investigation underway into police training and practices, especially by the Street Crimes Unit in New York. Again, the Justice Department has decided not to pursue federal civil rights charges against the officers who killed Amadou Diallo. His family still has a civil rights lawsuit pending.