Del City, Okla., Police Capt. Randy Trent Harrison has been convicted of first-degree manslaughter in the 2012 death of Dane Scott Jr., an unarmed teenager, the Guardian reports.
The case centered around the day last year in March when Harrison tried to pull over Scott’s car. The teenager left the car and got into a scuffle with the Harrison, and a gun was taken from the teen, who reportedly started running away.
It was then Harrison fired four times at the 18-year-old, the last round hitting Scott in the back, and ultimately killing him.
According to the Guardian, prosecutors argued that Harrison was wrong to shoot the teen, who was just "running and holding his pants" and posed "no threat at all."
Scott’s pants were central to the trial, reportedly, with Harrison and his defense team claiming that the officer believed that Scott was reaching for a second gun. The prosecution called witnesses who said that the teen was only trying to hold his pants up. There were no weapons found on Scott after the shooting.
The shooting wasn't the first time that the officer and teen had dealings with one another. Harrison had arrested Scott before on drug charges. Harrison’s defense portrayed the teenager as a drug dealer. Prosecutors argued that the Harrison’s pursuit of Scott crossed the line from professional to personal.
"He had just tried to kill me. He would kill anybody to escape," Harrison testified, saying that he did not want to kill the teen. "I just didn't have any other choice," he said.
Another officer on the scene countered Harrison’s perception of the incident. The officer, who did fire a Taser at Scott, said that he didn’t see a second weapon on the teen.
Read more at the Guardian.