Three Prince George’s police officers have been cleared of the fatal shooting of a man wielding an axe at a daycare in Bowie.

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The state’s attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks announced Friday that she would not prosecute Sergeant Thomas Hendershot, Officer Haris Johnson and Officer Henry Colon, all of the Police District II, in connection with the incident.

On April 7, 2011, the officers responded to a daycare in Bowie for report of a man with an axe, who was later identified as 38-year-old Albert Denton, of Glen Dale. Police say Denton was upset because the daycare wouldn’t allow him to pick-up his children, as previously instructed by the kid’s mother.

The statement says Denton then pounded the sidewalk and a mailbox with axe before officers arrived. Once on the scene, police ordered him to drop the axe, but Denton ignored them and charged at the officers, who then fatally shot him.

“Our comprehensive investigation into the matter revealed that these officers acted reasonably and were in legitimate fear of their lives and the lives of others,” said Alsobrooks. “In fact, their actions saved countless lives because they protected the children and daycare providers from harm.”