A judge has declared a mistrial in the case of a former University of Cincinnati police office who fatally shot a motorist during a traffic stop.
CBS News reports that after 25 hours of deliberation, the jury could not agree on a verdict. Ray Tensing, 26, is charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Sam DuBose, 43.
Tensing, who is white, was a police officer on the university's force in July 2015 when he stopped DuBose, who is black, because the car he was driving was missing a front license plate. When DuBose, who was unarmed, tried to drive away, Tensing fatally shot him.
The university fired Tensing shortly after the shooting.
Hamilton County Judge Megan Shanahan declared a mistrial over the weekend after the jury continued to insist that it could not reach a unanimous decision. Prosecutor Joe Deters says the jury was leaning toward a voluntary manslaughter conviction and an acquittal on the murder charge, but could not agree. Deters says he’ll decide within the next two weeks whether Tensing will be tried again.
The case attracted demonstrators, including Black Lives Matter activists, outside the courthouse and is among other shootings across the nation that have raised debate about how police treat black people.
Following the shooting, the Cincinnati City Council voted to stop having university police conduct patrols off the university campus.
Video from CBS News:
