PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) - A jury has ruled that Portsmouth’s former police chief is not liable for a shooting eight years ago in which a mentally ill Vietnam veteran died.
The jury reached its decision in the case Friday after about an hour of deliberation.
The family of 60-year-old Marshall Franklin Sr. had sued the former police chief, Ed Hargis, for $5 million, arguing that he failed to ensure his officers were properly trained to deal with mentally ill people.
Hargis’ attorneys argued that Franklin was partly to blame, claiming he opened fire on two officers on Feb. 26, 2009 after they threw a phone into his house during a barricade situation. The two officers were wounded.
Hargis is now chief of the Frederick Police Department in Maryland.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.