I can see how the jury would find the guy not guilty. In the dry, reasoned world of the courtroom, with the Judge and Lawyers saying “you must follow the law” the cop is absolutely not guilty. In real life he’s a murdering son of a bitch who will roast in Hell for this.
It was life or death high stress Simon Says and the guy screwed up and it cost him his life. The law says if you move your hands to your waist, cop is justified in blasting you, and for good reason when it’s an actual gangbanger on the street. Action wins over reaction, and there are chilling bodycam videos of an officer’s final moments before the bad guy’s gun comes out of nowhere fast.
When it’s a distraught, panicky citizen that is facing a slew of loaded rifles held by men screaming about killing him while making him crawl like a dog, not so much. But, it is the law.
In this instance the cop used the law to get away with what common sense plainly shows is brutal murder.
The Mesa PD got rid of this maniac, but the decision to defend him and the methods employed in court, probably in order to decrease liability, is pathetic.
Congrats, Mesa PD. You’ve done more harm to the reputation of Law Enforcement than any number of Black Lives Matter morons could do in a decade of rioting.
True.
I believe the city of Mesa is going to get hit with a huge settlement. They need to settle soon and move on. A civil trial and verdict could blow a whole in their budget ghat will take a decade to pay off.