The most serious charge against the four officers is second-degree murder. All have pleaded innocent. The defense case hinges on the argument that the officers were justified in shooting Diallo a year ago because they believed he had a gun and was about to shoot them. Teresi told jurors that the law allows police officers to stop and question someone if wrongdoing is suspected, and gave them the option of considering charges other than murder. Teresi instructed the jurors to consider only the charges and not consider what the punishment would be.
Punishment is the function of the court.
The judge said the dismissed juror apologized for her actions, saying if she had it to do over again, she would not have talked about the case. The re-configured jury consists of four black women, one white woman and seven white men. We need to improve the relationship between the police and the community. Closing arguments Defense attorneys said in closing arguments Tuesday that jurors should appreciate the fear of the officers the night they shot Diallo, as they faced someone they thought was a dangerous man. But they honestly believed this guy was shooting at them.