Jury clears Pennsylvania police officer of murder in Antwon Rose shooting
By David DeKok
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 22 (Reuters) - A Pittsburgh jury on Friday unanimously found that a white police officer did not commit murder when he fatally shot black teenager Antwon Rose, an incident that sparked protests and fueled the debate about racial bias in the U.S. criminal justice system.
East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld, 30, shot Rose, 17, as he fled from a car along with an 18-year-old associate who has since pleaded guilty to carrying out a drive-by shooting from the vehicle.
"I don't have any doubt in my mind that this was the proper verdict, I give this jury a lot of credit," Patrick Thomassey, Rosfeld's lawyer, told reporters outside the courtroom.
The shooting was one of a series of high-profile U.S. police killings of unarmed black teens and men.
Lawyers for Rosfeld, of Verona, Pennsylvania, had argued that he acted in self-defense because he believed Rose was carrying a weapon. (Additional reporting by Andrew Hay; Editing by Scott Malone and Rosalba O'Brien)
