Former Dallas Officer Who Shot Unarmed Man May Face Another Trial
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The Dallas County District Attorney's Office says it plans to retry a former suburban Dallas police officer for the shooting of an unarmed man.
Fired Mesquite officer Derick Wiley went on trial last month for the November 2017 shooting that wounded Lyndo Jones, but a Dallas County jury on Thursday said it was deadlocked after 10 hours of deliberation.
Jones was sitting in his pickup prior to the gunfire and was shot in the back twice after he started to run. Police video shows Jones had pleaded with Wiley to not shoot just before the gunfire.
High on heroin and marijuana when he was shot, Jones survived.
He filed a civil lawsuit that cited excessive force, unlawful arrest, detention and interrogation at the hands of Wiley and the City of Mesquite. It also faulted policymakers, the mayor, police chief, city council and the city manager for failing to properly supervise and discipline officers who are known to engage in excessive force.
"Fearing for his life, Jones put his hands up and begged defendant Wiley not to shoot him," the civil lawsuit says. "Defendant Wiley disregarded and ignored Jones' pleas and instead discharged his firearm, striking plaintiff three times in the back for no justifiable or lawful reason."
A defense lawyer said Wiley, after being led to believe Jones was stealing from the truck, was forced to make a split-second decision.
