RICHMOND — Days after police arrested a Bay Area man on suspicion of killing former NFL player Terrell Roberts, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office determined there wasn’t enough evidence to file a case, prosecutors said.

The suspect, who this newspaper is not naming, was released from jail Tuesday morning, authorities said. He was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of fatally shooting Roberts during an altercation in Richmond last September.

The District Attorney’s office didn’t comment on the rationale behind the decision not to file charges, which was made by the homicide unit. Generally, prosecutors are supposed to only file charges when they’re confident the charges can be proved at trial.

There is no statute of limitations on murder charges, so that means prosecutors can reevaluate their decision at any point.

The shooting took place out front, by the garage, at Roberts’ grandmother’s house, which is on the 1200 block of Fascination Circle, police said at the time. Roberts, who played two seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, died in the backyard with a gunshot wound in his chest.

Before going pro, Roberts played football at El Cerrito High School. He signed with the Bengals in 2003 after going undrafted out of Oregon State. He played 23 games over two seasons, starting once and intercepting a pass. The Bengals released him in 2005.

“He was an outstanding talent, and he wasn’t a selfish player,” former longtime El Cerrito coach Frank Milo, 78, said in an interview last September. “He always worked hard for what he achieved. I can recall when he was a sophomore, I brought him up to varsity about halfway through the season, and he started at cornerback that year. The next two years, he was just tremendous. He started both ways and never came off the field. He also returned punts and kickoffs on special teams.”

Roberts’ family told news station KPIX that her had a “heart of gold” and was “not mixed up in anything bad.”

RICHMOND — An 18-year-old was charged Wednesday with attempting to murder a Richmond police officer during a sideshow Sunday morning.

Court records identified the officer as Onome Ojo, a former UC Davis football star who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2001 and had a brief NFL career in the early 2000s.

Ojo is expected to recover after being struck by a car participating in the sideshow at Marina Bay Parkway and Regatta Boulevard. Two 18-year-olds were arrested and charged in connection with the crash, and are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning.

The alleged driver of the car that struck Ojo, Juan Vargas, 18, of Patterson, was charged with attempted murder and assault on a peace officer Wednesday. Genesis Diaz-Castaneda, 18, of Santa Nella, was charged with accessory after the fact.

Vargas and Diaz-Castaneda also face charges of conspiracy to file a false report. The charging documents allege that after the crash, they abandoned the car in Richmond, called South San Francisco police to report the car as being stolen, then travelled to the South San Francisco police department and “provided a fictitious account of events.”

Ojo is a former fifth round pick of the New Orleans Saints, and took an odd path to the NFL: He never played in high school, choosing to study dance instead, but decided to try out for UC Davis’ football team his junior year there. As a senior, he finished third on the team with 33 catches and second among Aggies receivers with 865 yards and 11 touchdowns, according to a 2008 Vallejo Times-Herald article.

Media reports say Ojo moved to Vallejo after a brief NFL career cut short by recurring knee injuries. He was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the team beat the Raiders in the Super Bowl in 2003, but he was injured and did not play. It is unknown when he decided to become an officer, but public records list him on the payroll at least as early as 2014.