Murtha Acquitted

Former Hartford police officer Robert Murtha was acquitted by his jury today. He was on trial for needlessly shooting a fleeing car thief in the arm.

[T]he six-member jury, after deliberating for a total of just over
four hours, concluded that Murtha was justified in shooting Elvin
Gonzalez, a suspected car thief who led Murtha and other officers on a
chase in January of 2003.

After Gonzalez crashed the stolen car into a snowbank, Murtha got out
of his cruiser and charged toward the vehicle. When Gonzalez managed to
get the car to drive back onto the roadway, Murtha opened fire,
striking Gonzalez twice as the car sped away. Gonzalez, who was caught
when he crashed the car again a block further down the road, survived
the shooting.