Last week, prosecutors in Philadelphia said they would no longer seek the death penalty for Mumia abu Jamal, who was convicted in 1982 of fatally shooting Officer Daniel Faulkner. The incident that sent Jamal to death row occurred in the wee morning hours of Dec. 9, 1981. Faulkner was on routine patrol. Jamal was driving his cab, his moonlighting gig when he wasn’t appearing on radio as a free-lance journalist.

According to a tale that has been often told, Faulkner had stopped Jamal’s brother and the two became involved in a physical confrontation. According to police and prosecutors, Jamal witnessed the fight, rushed over and shot Faulkner.