Police officer acquitted after shooting dead unarmed man lying face down in the snow

Hummelstown officer Lisa Mearkle was cleared this week of third degree murder

Andrew Buncombe
New York
,Ryan Ramgobin
Friday 06 November 2015 15:58 GMT
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Lisa Mearkle shot and killed David Kassick as he lay in the snow
Lisa Mearkle shot and killed David Kassick as he lay in the snow

Officials in a Pennsylvania town have released footage that shows a police shooting dead an unarmed motorist as he lay in the snow - on the same day the officer was found not guilty of murder.

Hummelstown officer Lisa Mearkle had faced charges of third degree murder and manslaughter over an incident in February when she fatally shot unarmed motorist David Kassick in the back as he lay face down on the ground.

The video of the incident that was played to jurors, contains the sounds of yelling, screams, and gunshots. The hands of 59-year-old Mr Kassick’s hands disappeared underneath his body as Ms Mearkle shouted at him to keep them where she could see them. Ms Mearkle was cleared on Thursday, PennLive.com reported.

Police Officer Lisa Mearkle's Taser video: fatal shooting of David Kassick

“Now. Show your hands ... Show your hands,” she can he heard saying.

In testimony to the court, the officer claimed she considered the downed motorist to be a threat to her safety even though she had stunned him with a Taser, the Associated Press reported.

After the verdict, Ms Mearkle was in tears as she said she was sorry the shooting had happened.

“I feel relief right now, but it’s going to take a little bit for me to get back to my normal self,” she told reporters. “This has taken a toll on me that nobody understands.”

Ms Mearkle, 37, said she wanted Mr Kassick’s family to know that: “I truly wish it didn’t happen. I want them to know that. I didn’t want to shoot anybody.”

Ms Mearkle’s lawyer, Brian Perry, said Ms Kassick’s actions - captured on the video attached to Ms Mearkle’s Taser - needed to be watched carefully. He argued that the conflict had escalated to the point where it was reasonable for Ms Mearkle to conclude that Mr Kassick was reaching for a weapon.

“It’s unfortunate, it’s tragic, nobody is celebrating death, but we think the jury reached the right verdict,” said Mr Perry.

During the trial, prosecutor Johnny Baer had argued that Ms Mearkle “took David’s life without justification. Took it unnecessarily.”

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