Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Deters announced Tuesday that he will retry former Police Officer Ray Tensing in the fatal shooting of Sam Dubose, a black man, during a traffic stop last year, CBS News reports.
"It is our belief that the public attention that has been focused on the Tensing case could have, in fact, seeped into the jury room," said Deters.
Dubose was originally pulled over for a missing license plate when he was killed by Tensing on July 19, 2015.
The case attracted activists and supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement.
"There were discussions we believe in the jury room concerning penalty, which isn’t proper,” said Deters. "And discussions of sympathy for the defendant, which isn’t proper."
According to CBS News, footage from a body camera from the day of the shooting showed Dubose getting shot in the head by Tensing, who admitted to homicide detectives that he did so purposely, claiming that he feared for his life.
"I really don’t want race to be an issue, but it’s hanging out there," prosecutor Deters said. "It’s kinda like the elephant in the room."
Read more at CBS News.