Jury deadlocks in Ohio police officer’s murder case retrial

An Ohio judge declared a mistrial Friday in the hearing of former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing, who in 2015 shot and killed Samuel DuBose, an incident that was captured on body camera video and ignited increased debate over police interactions with African-Americans.

The mistrial, which came after five days of jury deliberations, left Tensing in tears and for now ended nearly two years of anticipation in the case.

In November, a previous court hearing of Tensing also ended in a mistrial.

In body-camera video from July 2015, DuBose, who is black, is repeatedly asked by Tensing for his driver’s license during a traffic stop. DuBose does not produce it.

Tensing asks DuBose to unbuckle his seat belt, and the officer pulls on the door handle. But DuBose, with the window down, puts his hand on the door to keep it closed. Suddenly a gunshot is heard, and DuBose appears to be slumped to his right. The car rolls away, coming to stop at a nearby corner.

At the time, Tensing said he was dragged by the car and forced to shoot at DuBose.

Shortly after the shooting, Tensing was indicted on a murder charge and fired from the University of Cincinnati Police Department. Officials in Cincinnati released the body camera video not long after the shooting.

The ruling Friday was the latest in a series of high-profile trials of police officers who have gunned down black men.

Earlier this month, a jury found 29-year-old Minnesota police Officer Jeronimo Yanez not guilty in the fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile during a traffic stop near St. Paul, an incident partially broadcast on Facebook Live.

Castile’s death last July garnered national attention when Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, began broadcasting on Facebook Live shortly after he was shot. The video quickly went viral and prompted demonstrations in Minnesota.

In May, a white Oklahoma police officer who said she fired out of fear last year when she killed an unarmed black man with his hands held above his head, was acquitted of first-degree manslaughter charges.