DETROIT – A judge has declared a mistrial after a jury said they could not reach a verdict in the trial against a Detroit police officer who killed a girl.
Officer Joseph Weekley was charged with a misdemeanor: causing death through the reckless use of a gun. He led a raid at a Detroit home in 2010 and mistakenly shot a 7-year-old girl in the head.
Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge last week, saying the prosecution had failed to make a case for manslaughter.
Weekley says the grandmother of Aiyana Stanley-Jones grabbed his weapon, but she denies it.
Jurors told the judge Wednesday that they were struggling to agree on a verdict. They continued deliberations Thursday and on Friday, after the judge asked them to decide if they could reach a decision, the jury said they were hopelessly deadlocked without a decision.
A mistrial was declared.
Weekley's first trial last year also ended without a verdict.