Prince's cousin reacts to decision not to file charges

(KMSP) - The Carver County Attorney’s announcement not to file charges in the death of Prince comes as many purple faithful are in town celebrating the music icon’s life and legacy. This weekend marks the second anniversary of Prince’s passing.

“Someone should be held accountable and I’m going to make sure that happens someday,” said Charles "Chazz" Smith, Prince’s cousin.

Smith is not satisfied with prosecutors’ announcement, but says he also understands and expected questions to linger.

“They can only go so far I was told,” said Smith. “As long as people aren’t talking, who’s going to know who put the fentanyl in that fatal bottle? Who’s going to know? Without someone talking. Perhaps with a lot of pressure from certain people maybe that might happen.”

While Smith leads the charge, demanding answers about where the fentanyl came from and why Prince thought the counterfeit pills were Vicodin, this week he’s also leading bus tours and sessions for fans around the globe who have come to the Twin Cities this week. 

Alphonso Starr, a fan from San Francisco, says his focus is on the life of a legend, not lingering questions about how or why Prince died. 

“There is always going to be conspiracy theories, so I’m not going to be pulled in either direction,” said Starr. “He’s gone and we are all sad and mourning. And we will forever mourn the fact that our Prince isn’t here anymore.”

Above all Smith hopes what investigators did confirm - about Prince having no idea he was taking fentanyl - will take away some of the tarnish to his memory. He believes more answers are the only way to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. 

“People assume that we knew,” said Smith. “We are just like anyone else that knew Prince lived an incredibly healthy life and I believe that to this day. However, there were people that were keeping this kinda situation going on and I don’t call them real friends.”