Inquest into teen's death to begin

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - UPDATE 4/5/2010: An Escambia County, Florida judge has released his report into the death of a 17-year-old boy. The judge determined there was no evidence that the officer committed a crime.

The state attorney's office will review the judge's report and make a final decision.

UPDATE 2/25/2010: Dash cam video has been released in the deadly accident.

It's been nearly five months since 17-year-old Victor Steen was killed when he was run over by a police cruiser. Thursday, a coroner's inquest begins, and the family is hoping they will have the answers to their lingering questions.

Stuffed animals and a white painted bike now sits at the spot where Steen was killed.

Back in October, the teenager was riding his bike home when Pensacola Police say Officer Gerald Ard tried to pull him over because he seemed suspicious. When Steen refused to stop, Officer Ard followed him and tried to tase him. Steen pulled the bike into an empty parking lot. That's when he fell in front of the cruiser and was killed.

His mother, Cassandra Steen, is still looking for answers as to what happened the night her son died.

"I really feel like I'm stuck in a bad dream," she said.

Thursday, Ms. Steen and the public may finally have some answers as to what happened.

"In cases involving deaths where law enforcement is involved, most offices around the state either present it to grand jury or they present it to a coroner's inquest. The reason we use a coroner's inquest is because it's a public proceeding where everybody can attend. The media also attends. It's reported within the public. That way the general public knows everything about the case," Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said.

Dashboard video along with other evidence will be turned over to a judge. That's something Steen's mother said she cannot relive.

"I couldn't even describe it. Every time we had watch the clip of my son laying underneath that patrol car, that crushed me to know the fear he went through that night," she explained.

The state attorney's office said this is the only way to find out who, if anyone, is at fault.

"We don't take a side, we simply present all evidence. The court will ask questions, anybody that has information regarding the situation will testify. After the close of all the evidence, the judge will consider and make a determination as to whether or not there's probable cause to believe that a crime was committed. And if the judge does find that a crime was committed, who was responsible for that crime," Marcille said.

The state attorney's office will then use the judge's findings to make a decision on whether to press charges.

The inquest will begin at 8:30 a.m.