Philadelphia prosecutors have dropped their pursuit of the death penalty for Mumia Abu-Jamal, the black man who was convicted of shooting a police officer three decades ago

He will instead serve a life sentence in prison, prosecutors have said. "The decision to end this fight was not an easy one to make," said District Attorney Seth Williams. "There has never been a doubt in my mind that Mumia Abu-Jamal shot and killed Officer Faulkner, and I believe the appropriate sentence was handed down in 1982." Abu-Jamal was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1981 killing of Daniel Faulkner. Witnesses testified that Abu-Jamal shot Faulkner in the back and head after the officer pulled over Abu-Jamal's brother in a late-night traffic stop. Once known as Wesley Cook, Abu-Jamal was wounded in the encounter and later confessed to the killing. He's been on death row at a state prison in southwest Pennsylvania, where he's remained an outspoken activist from behind bars - claiming there were procedural errors during his capital sentencing, and that too few blacks were on the jury. The case has attracted international attention, amid charges of prosecutorial misconduct. Abu-Jamal, a onetime radio reporter and cabdriver, has been a divisive figure, with many prominent supporters arguing that racism pervaded his trial. Others counter that Abu-Jamal is using his race to try to escape responsibility for his actions. They point out that he has provoked community unrest for years with his writings and advocacy. In April 2011, Abu-Jamal was granted a new sentencing hearing by a federal appeals court, sparking a threat by the prosecutor to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. In its 32-page decision, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals accepted defense arguments that the jury instructions at Abu-Jamal's 1982 murder trial were unclear. The court's decision did not grant Abu-Jamal a new trial; his conviction on the murder charge stands. A 2008 appeals court ruling also had nullified Abu-Jamal's death sentence and granted him a new sentencing hearing. But the Supreme Court tossed out that ruling and ordered the appeals court to revisit the issue. The high court in 2010 denied Abu-Jamal's separate petition for a new trial.