Mistrial declared in trial of white cop for killing black man; how did jurors vote?
A judge in Cincinnati on Saturday declared mistrial after jurors deadlocked in the case of a white police officer accused of shooting an unarmed black man.
Prosecutors revealed at trial that former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing had been wearing a T-shirt with a Confederate flag on it when he shot and killed Sam DuBose, a black man he pulled over for driving a car without a front license plate, report the Cincinnati Enquirer (via USA Today), the New York Times and the Washington Post.
Jurors had voted 8-4 in favor of convicting former Tensing of voluntary manslaughter, and at least three were willing to convict Tensing of murder, according to Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.
Two women jurors, one black and one white, wept as Judge Megan Shanahan declared a mistrial. The jury consisted of 10 whites and two blacks.
Tensing had testified he believed he was being dragged by DuBose’s car when Dubose tried to drive away from the traffic stop, and he believed his life was in danger. A report by a consulting firm hired by the university said video of the traffic stop showed the car barely moved when Tensing fired his gun.
Police said they found several bags of marijuana and $2,500 in cash in DuBose’s car.
Related article:
ABAJournal.com: “Murder case against cop over fatal traffic stop ‘absolutely unwarranted,’ his lawyer says”
