who is stockley? How did I miss a liberal cryfest in the making?
He's this year's George Zimmerman.
A white former St. Louis police officer was found not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a black man who was shot to death during a 2011 high-speed chase.
The encounter began when Stockley and his partner tried to corner Anthony Lamar Smith in a fast-food restaurant parking lot after seeing what appeared to be a drug deal. Stockley testified he saw what he believed was a gun, and his partner yelled "gun!" as Smith backed into the police SUV twice to get away.
Smith, a parole violator with previous convictions for gun and drug crimes, tried to run over the two officers. Stockley fired seven shots as Smith sped away. A chase ensued.
At the end of the chase, Stockley opened fire only when Smith, still in his car, refused commands to put up his hands and reached along the seat. Stockley found a revolver stuffed between the center console and passenger seat.
Stockley, 36, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. He left St. Louis' police force in 2013 and moved to Houston.
Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson, who oversaw the bench trial, said prosecutors also asked the court to consider a lesser degree of homicide. Wilson said prosecutors did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt the officer’s use of deadly force was not justified.
“This court, as a trier of fact, is simply not firmly convinced of defendant’s guilt,” the judge wrote in his ruling.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/09/15/st-louis-ex-officer-jason-stockley-acquitted-in-killing-black-man.html