Jury acquits man in police shooting

A jury has ac quitted a man who was shot and injured by police, of pointing a gun at two officers.

Jurors deliberated for about 30 minutes Thursday before finding Ronnie Craig Calvert, 45, not guilty of pointing a fire arm at Oklahoma City police officers Dalton Kennedy and Megan Morgan on March 17, 2015.

Kennedy and Morgan fired at Calvert after police said he refused to drop a firearm he was holding and then raised it in the direction of the officers.

Police were looking for Calvert about 2 a.m. because he was accused of assaulting a friend, Ronald Hearod. Jurors also found Calvert not guilty of assaulting Hearod with a dangerous weapon.

Defense attorney Derek Chance argued Calvert, who was standing on his front porch looking at his phone, had no idea who was approaching. The attorney argued the officers surprised him in the dark and failed to identify themselves as police.

Chance said prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Calvert was not acting in self- defense or defense of his property when the officers drew close and yelled, "Hey," prompting Calvert to turn and point his weapon.

The officers fired nearly two dozen shots at Calvert, who was in a medically induced coma for about two weeks.

One of the officers testified Calvert could have thought the police were intruders, Chance said.

"Mr. Calvert has lived with these charges for over f our years, and he is thankful for the jury's thoughtful consideration of the evidence, and the jury' s courage to not rubber stamp questionable police action," t he defense attorney told The Oklahoman.