A jury Wednesday acquitted former New Orleans police officer David Warren of federal civil rights and gun charges stemming from the post-Hurricane Katrina killing of Henry Glover, reports NOLA.com. After 14 hours of deliberations, the jury delivered its verdict at 5:15 p.m.
Warren testified that he feared for his life when he shot Glover on Sept. 2005 from the second-story balcony of an Algiers strip mall where Warren was standing guard.
The former lawman, who fired a single round from his personal assault rifle, said he saw something in Glover's hand that could have been a gun. And Warren said that Glover, after arriving in a stolen truck with another man, was charging toward a first-floor gate, which Warren believed was unlocked.
Warren, 50, who has been jailed since 2010, smiled and hugged his attorneys. He told reporters later he felt he his actions were "right and proper" that day and said he has no regrets. Members of his family cried and hugged inside the courtroom. One of his daughters said, "Daddy's coming home."
