SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office on Friday announced no criminal charges will be filed against an officer who pushed an elderly man to the ground during a protest.

District Attorney Sim Gill said the decision not to pursue charges came after the victim said he would prefer the officer face disciplinary action and training from the Salt Lake City Police Department instead.

“This was not an easy decision,” Gill said in a statement. “Officer (Val) Brown’s conduct was unnecessary, inappropriate, and wholly without justification.”

Gill said that any time an officer uses unreasonable force against a resident engaged in peaceful protest, it not only victimizes that person but also “damages the community’s faith in law enforcement and erodes the trust of other residents that they may safely exercise their First Amendment rights free from interference or retaliation.”

Brown was recording pushing the man during a protest in May.

SLCPD Chief Mike Brown released a statement the following day after Val Brown was identified. Watch it here: