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Jury Deadlocks on Murder Charge in Michael Dunn Trial

HeadlineFeb 17, 2014

A Florida jury has convicted Michael Dunn of three counts of attempted murder for opening fire on a car of unarmed black teenagers during an argument over loud music at a gas station in Jacksonville. But the jury deadlocked on the charge of first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis, causing the judge to declare a mistrial on that count. Davis’ mother, Lucy McBath, reacted to the verdict.

Lucy McBath: “It’s sad for Mr. Dunn that he will live the rest of his life in that sense of torment, and I will pray for him, and I’ve asked my family to pray for him. But we are so grateful for the charges that have been brought against him. We are so grateful for the truth.”

After shooting Davis, Dunn, who is white, fled the scene, went to a hotel with his fiancée and ordered pizza. He never called the police. Dunn claimed he saw Davis brandish a shotgun, but police never found a gun, and Dunn’s fiancée testified Dunn never mentioned a shotgun before his arrest. The jury in the trial was two-thirds white and did not include any black men. We’ll have more on the case after headlines.

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