Jurors to resume deliberations in shooting trial
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jurors in Pittsburgh will try for a third day Thursday to reach a verdict in the criminal trial of a black man who was paralyzed when he was shot by a white Pittsburgh police officer during a traffic stop.
Twenty-one-year-old Leon Ford of Shaler Township is charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and resisting arrest in the November 2012 incident.
The jurors told Allegheny County Judge Donald Machen on Wednesday that they were deadlocked on some counts, but the judge instructed them to continue their discussions.
Allegheny County prosecutors contend Ford panicked when he was pulled over for speeding and was shot during a struggle with police when he tried to escape by driving away.
Ford’s attorneys say the police mistook him for a wanted gang member.