Officer Is Acquitted in Death of Black Man
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A white Cincinnati police officer was acquitted of misdemeanor assault in the case of a black man who died last year after a struggle with officers.
A jury deliberated two hours before clearing Patrick Caton, one of two officers charged after Roger Owensby Jr.’s death.
Police had stopped Owensby on Nov. 7 to ask him about drug trafficking. Officers said he fled and was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed. He died of asphyxiation while in custody.
A coroner ruled the death a homicide, saying asphyxiation could have been caused by a choke hold or the weight of officers piling on and smothering Owensby.
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