News / Society

White officer who killed unarmed black man cleared of murder

Saturday, 24 June 2017 7:13 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 24 June 2017 8:32 AM ]

Former University of Cincinnati police officer Raymond Tensing listens as Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Leslie Ghiz tells the jury to continue deliberations after the jury said they are deadlocked during Tensing's trial on Friday, June 23, 2017. (AP photo)

Outrage is growing after a judge in the US state of Ohio declared another mistrial in the case of a white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black motorist during a traffic stop in 2015.

Hamilton County Judge Leslie Ghiz made the decision Friday after more than 30 hours of jury deliberations over five days. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict in the trial of University of Cincinnati officer Ray Tensing.

Tensing, 27, killed 43-year-old Sam DuBose in July 2015 after pulling him over a missing front license plate.

The first trial against Tensing also ended in a mistrial after the jury deliberated 25 hours over four days in November without reaching a verdict. The family of DuBose is demanding a third trial.

Audrey DuBose, mother of the victim, said in a statement that the family is "outraged" a second jury failed to convict the officer. She called on the Cincinnati community to join them in "peaceful protest" of what she called an "unjust result."

DuBose's killing was one in a series of high-profile, police-involved killings that sparked nationwide protests over police brutality. Tensing was fired from his job and arrested after the shooting. He remains free on bail.

Civil rights activist say the latest court ruling shows the reluctance of US jurors to convict white officers.

Family and friends of Sam DuBose arrive at the courthouse for the trial of the white officer who killed him. (Getty Images)

Tensing was the third US law enforcement officer to be tried for shooting a black man in the last week. None of the officers were convicted.

Members of the Black Lives Matter movement and other civil rights groups expressed outrage over the second mistrial.

Brian Taylor of the Black Lives Matter movement in Cincinnati called the mistrial "blatant injustice" and a "textbook example" of institutionalized racism in the US.

Elected officials in Cincinnati and religious leaders also expressed disappointment about the case. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said Friday he does not believe DuBose should have been killed in that situation.

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