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A former Colorado cop was found not guilty after being accused of repeatedly hitting a Black man with a gun and strangling him during a 2021 arrest.
On Thursday (April 11), a jury acquitted ex-Aurora police officer John Haubert of all charges including assault, felony menacing, official oppression, and official misconduct in connection to the 2021 arrest of Kyle Vinson, per KDVR. The verdict came following a nine-day trial.
The case stemmed from police responding to a report of trespassing in a parking lot in July 2021. As two other men fled the scene, police ordered Vinson to get on his stomach and put his hands out. Vinson followed police orders but voiced his opposition to the arrest.
During the arrest, Haubert held his hand around Vinson's neck for 39 seconds, "strangling" him, according to an arrest affidavit. Haubert also hit Vinson in the head with his pistol repeatedly. Following the arrest, Vinson was taken to the hospital for welts and a cut on his head that required stitches.
Haubert allegedly told other officers at the scene: “All that blood on him is from me f–king pistol-whipping him. … I was whaling the f–k out of him.”
Former Aurora Police Department chief Vanessa Wilson previously said Vinson's arrest was a “very despicable act.”
“It was a crime, it was wrong, and he should be held accountable for it,” a prosecutor said during closing arguments of the trial. “Mr. Vinson was struggling to breath as the defendant put his weight and squeezed his neck.”
Haubert's defense team defended his actions, saying Vinson reached for the officer's gun and had a warrant out for his arrest due to a probation violation.
“Kyle Vinson grabbed for Mr. Haubert’s gun,” a defense attorney told the jury. “That’s not OK. Police officers, according to all the evidence that we heard, once that happens they can use deadly force.”
18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner issued a statement amid Thursday's verdict.
“While we are disappointed in the verdict, we respect the jury’s decision. We have a duty to investigate and prosecute cases we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. This verdict does not change our commitment to seeking justice for victims,” Kellner said.
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