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“An innocent man was murdered. He called for help, and he got Ben Darby.”
An Alabama police officer was
convicted Friday of murdering a man who had a gun pointed at his own head. A
senior officer attempted to de-escalate the situation when Huntsville Police
Officer William Ben Darby disregarded her orders and suddenly shot the suicidal
man in the face.
Around 4:25 p.m. on April 3, 2018,
Jeffrey Parker called 911 to report that he was armed and planned to commit
suicide. Huntsville Police officers Genisha Pegues and Justin Beckles arrived
at the residence and found Parker sitting on his couch while aiming a gun at
McMurray said his officers were “in the first stages of shock” after hearing the verdict.
“While we thank the jury for their service in this difficult case, I do not believe Officer Darby is a murderer,” he said. “Officers are forced to make split-second decisions every day, and Officer Darby believed his life and the lives of other officers were in danger. Any situation that involves a loss of life is tragic. Our hearts go out to everyone involved.”
Battle similarly said he disagreed with the jury’s verdict and pointed to Darby’s legal option to appeal it.
“Fortunately, Officer Darby has the same appeal rights as any other citizen and is entitled to exercise those rights,” he said.
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