Cop caught beating a black man on video is acquitted

Prepare to be shocked: in Louisiana, a cop was just acquitted for beating a black man with a flashlight, and breaking his jaw. The incident was caught on tape, and the officer was indicted, but a jury was somehow convinced this was justified. Nothing in the article sounds like the victim was resisting, while it does appear the officer in question was not one of the first responders and had shown up “looking to get involved.”

The composition of the jury is not noted.

The Root:

But nearly two years after he was indicted, a federal jury found the former Louisiana trooper not guilty of depriving Bowman of his civil rights, despite the act being caught on camera and leaving the Black man with a broken jaw and broken ribs, according to the AP.

If convicted, he would’ve faced up to 10 years in prison.

More from the Associated Press:

Brown’s defense attorney, Scott Wolleson, told The Associated Press he was grateful for the verdict. “The men and women of the jury recognized the risks law enforcement officers like Jacob Brown face on our behalf every day,” he said.

Bowman’s attorney, Ron Haley, said the acquittal “shows it’s incredibly hard to prove a civil rights violation in federal court.” He added that the attack had “fundamentally changed” Bowman’s life.

“He was low-hanging fruit for Jacob Brown,” Haley said.

While the verdict was disappointing for Bowman, the courts aren’t done with police in the state of Louisiana. The U.S. Justice Department opened a civil rights probe into the Louisiana State Police following an investigation into the agency by the Associated Press that found a concerning pattern of officers using excessive force against citizens, most notably Black people.