Acquital
A man, Dempster, was acquitted of manslaughter charges yesterday. The death that the prosecutor believed Dempster should have been accountable for is described as such:
In the early hours of April 25, Dempster fled on foot in a wooded area after an officer who suspected that he was driving while intoxicated attempted to pull him over. Hoffman, one of the officers searching for Dempster on foot, was struck by a police cruiser as he stood on the side of a narrow, poorly lighted road.
At trial last month, prosecutors argued that Dempster, 20, ought to be held accountable for Hoffman’s death. “Because of the defendant’s selfishness and concern for only himself, Montgomery County police officer Luke Hoffman lost his life,” Deputy State’s Attorney John Maloney said during opening statements.
– http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/18/AR2007121801853.html