Cop who shot unarmed man in the back acquitted of third degree murder
- 8 years ago
HUMMELSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA — A small town cop who shot an unarmed man in the back has been acquitted of all charges, including third degree murder, by a jury in Pennsylvania, NBC News reports. Following the verdict, the Dauphin County Attorney General's Office released video of the shooting to the general public.
While conducting a traffic patrol around 4 p.m. on February 2, Hummelstown police officer Lisa Mearkle noticed David Kassick's sedan had an expired inspection sticker. When she tried to pull Kassick over, he fled and officer Mearkle chased him to Kassick's sister's house, where he got out and ran.
In the backyard of the house officer Mearkle shot Kassick with her taser and he went face down in the snow, but the probes only penetrated his coat. In video of the shooting recorded by the taser's built-in camera, Mearkle can be heard ordering Kassick to keep his hands visible 26 times as she shocks him repeatedly.
In the video, Kassick's hands repeatedly go out of view, in a gesture that looks similar to an attempt to draw a concealed pistol. That gesture was actually Kassick attempting to pull the taser's probes out of his coat.
Officer Mearkle said she was convinced Kassick had a gun in his jacket and that he was reaching for it, so she shot him twice with her service weapon. Mearkle administered CPR to Kassick until backup arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mearkle, said she wished the shooting didn't happen, and that she never wanted to shoot anybody, according to NBC News. She will return to duty in Hummelstown, where she has been an officer for 14 years.
It is not known why Kassick fled in the first place, but an autopsy showed he had alcohol and drugs in his blood at the time of his death.
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While conducting a traffic patrol around 4 p.m. on February 2, Hummelstown police officer Lisa Mearkle noticed David Kassick's sedan had an expired inspection sticker. When she tried to pull Kassick over, he fled and officer Mearkle chased him to Kassick's sister's house, where he got out and ran.
In the backyard of the house officer Mearkle shot Kassick with her taser and he went face down in the snow, but the probes only penetrated his coat. In video of the shooting recorded by the taser's built-in camera, Mearkle can be heard ordering Kassick to keep his hands visible 26 times as she shocks him repeatedly.
In the video, Kassick's hands repeatedly go out of view, in a gesture that looks similar to an attempt to draw a concealed pistol. That gesture was actually Kassick attempting to pull the taser's probes out of his coat.
Officer Mearkle said she was convinced Kassick had a gun in his jacket and that he was reaching for it, so she shot him twice with her service weapon. Mearkle administered CPR to Kassick until backup arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mearkle, said she wished the shooting didn't happen, and that she never wanted to shoot anybody, according to NBC News. She will return to duty in Hummelstown, where she has been an officer for 14 years.
It is not known why Kassick fled in the first place, but an autopsy showed he had alcohol and drugs in his blood at the time of his death.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
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Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus