The announcement by the Attorney General's office -- that it will not be pursuing criminal charges against the officers who fatally shot Council rancher Jack Yantis -- has left many "Justice for Jack" supporters feeling that justice has not been done.
"The attorney general is wrong," proclaimed Mark Briscoe, a Yantis family supporter. "Go ahead. You wanna call me attorney general? Let's get after it."
"I actually expected that outcome, yet I was still stunned," said Claire Cox, also a Yantis family supporter. "There's this part of me that keeps hoping people are going to rally and we are going to see some real justice."
The Adams County Sheriff says the ruling comes with mixed emotions. He say it is just another step in the process, adding the community needs to stay calm.
"I hope and I pray that cool heads will prevail. I'm a man of faith, and I believe nothing happens without a reason," said Adams County Sheriff Ryan Zollman. "Leave this to a higher power watching over us."
The attorney general's announcement comes at the start of the Adams County Fair and Rodeo, a time when the town of Council swells with visitors. Sheriff Zollman says he is disappointed with the Attorney General for releasing his findings during the fair. It is something he says he specifically asked them not to do. Now, Zollman says his officers are on high alert.
"It's clear that in the nation, law enforcement, we're under attack, and we just now have a reason here in Adams County," said Sheriff Zollman. "But I really believe in our community, believe in the people who live here. I have faith in them and their protection."
While there is still division in the town, supporters of the Yantis family say they are all still part of a community.
"Even though we're deeply divided, we're still neighbors. And, at the bottom of it all, we love each other," said Cox.
Sheriff Zollman says the two deputies involved in the shooting are still on administrative leave. He says both of them want to come back to work.
