Judge declares second mistrial in Cincinnati cop’s murder trial

A mistrial was declared for the second time in the trial of a white Ohio police officer charged in the 2015 shooting of unarmed black man, after a jury said that they could not resolve their deadlock on a verdict.

According to The Associated Press, the jury told the judge presiding over the trial earlier on Friday that they were unable to agree on both manslaughter and murder charges against University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing. 

The judge sent the jury back into deliberations to try again, the AP reported. But jurors came back later on Friday with the same outcome, saying they were evenly split on the charges.

Tensing’s first trial in November also ended with a deadlocked jury. 

{mosads}Tensing was charged in the shooting of 43-year-old Sam DuBose during a 2015 traffic stop. DuBose had been pulled over for a missing front license plate.

Tensing said that, during the stop, his arm had become caught in the car and that DuBose had begun to drive away. 

Prosecutors argued evidence showed no threat to Tensing and that he had deliberately decided to reach for his gun. The defense said that Tensing had thought he was in danger and acted out of instinct.

Tensing said during his first trial that his goal was not to harm DuBose but to “stop the threat.”

The second mistrial comes a week after a jury in Minnesota acquitted a police officer in the shooting death of black motorist Philando Castile.