A Le Sueur County sheriff's deputy will not face criminal charges in the shooting death this summer of an unarmed Kasota man, a grand jury decided Friday.

The grand jury deliberated for about two hours after hearing testimony that began Wednesday before deciding not to indict Todd Waldron, said Andrew Johnson, assistant Anoka County attorney.

The grand jury had been asked to consider charges of second-degree intentional murder and second-degree unintentional murder against the deputy in the death of Tyler Heilman.

Heilman, 24, was shirtless and wearing only swimming trunks when Waldron, in plainclothes, shot him twice in the chest during an arrest attempt on July 20.

The grand jury's decision came hard to Heilman's friends, including Amber Hagan, who began crying when she heard the news Friday evening. "It's ridiculous. I'm in shock right now," said Hagan, who spent much of this week waiting for the outcome of the grand jury proceedings in Le Sueur County. "I don't feel like Tyler gets justice," she said.

Heilman had been swimming with friends when Waldron followed the car he was driving back to an apartment complex. The young man had been speeding and driving erratically, the Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office said. Heilman's friends, including Kris Hoehn, who was in the car that day, said Waldron was not in uniform and never identified himself as a deputy.

Hoehn has said that Waldron asked for Heilman's driver's license. Heilman walked away, unsure of the deputy's identity, and a scuffle broke out when Waldron grabbed Heilman's shoulders, Hoehn said.

Heilman flipped Waldron to the ground and the two wrestled, witnesses said, and when Heilman jumped off Waldron, the deputy shot him without a verbal warning. Authorities have said Waldron fired at least four shots.

But that's not the whole story the grand jury heard, Johnson said. "A lot of information was gathered that was not reported in the media, and the case is much murkier than one would believe by hearing the media reports," he said.

Additional witnesses to the shooting came forward with accounts that differed from those by Heilman's friends, Johnson said. The medical examiner also said that one bullet was fired at closer range than some reports indicated, he said.

Heilman's family, which includes a toddler-aged son, has retained an attorney to consider filing civil charges, he said.

Star Tribune staff writer Chao Xiong contributed to this report. Sarah Lemagie • 952-882-9016