National Roundup

Maryland
Jury acquits officer of murder charge in shooting of handcuffed man
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) — A Maryland police officer was acquitted by a jury of murder and other charges Wednesday from the fatal shooting a handcuffed man.

The jury acquitted Michael Owen Jr. of all four charges, including second-degree murder, first-degree assault, voluntary manslaughter and misconduct in office. It took the jury less than two hours of deliberations to deliver the not guilty verdict.

Owen had served on the police force for 10 years when he became the first officer in the county’s history to be charged with murder in an on-duty killing.

Owen fatally shot William Green, 43, while the handcuffed man was sitting in the front seat of the officer’s police cruiser in 2020. Owen’s attorneys claimed at trial that he acted in self defense during a struggle in which Green tried to grab his gun. After the gun went off, he shot Green six times.

In opening statements, prosecutors and the defense agreed on certain basic facts: that Owen fatally shot Green while the handcuffed man was sitting in the front seat of the officer’s police cruiser. But the two sides disputed other aspects of the case, including whether a struggle preceded the shooting and whether Owen acted in self-defense.

Several months after Green’s death, in September 2020, county officials announced a $20 million settlement with his family.

The fatal shooting happened in Prince George’s County, where there are nearly 1 million residents and the police department is Maryland’s fourth largest law-enforcement agency, with more than 1,500 officers covering a wide swath of the Washington, D.C., suburbs.

Owen had handcuffed Green behind his back after responding to a traffic accident and finding him sleeping in his vehicle, apparently under the influence of an unknown substance, according to a police report.
Owen then put Green in the front passenger seat of the patrol car.

Owen wasn’t wearing a body camera during the deadly encounter.

His lead defense attorney, Thomas Mooney, argued the shooting was self-defense. He said the jury would see evidence of damage to the inside of Owen’s vehicle and hear from another officer who recalled Owen telling him Green went for his gun.

Mooney also raised questions about weaknesses and inconsistencies in the initial police investigation of the shooting, asking how Owen could be charged with murder if key pieces of evidence were in conflict.

Texas
Air Force Reserve staff sergeant arrested for role in Capitol riot
A staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve from Texas was arrested Wednesday on felony charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, where authorities say he pushed and grabbed police officers and called one officer a “traitor.”

Kyle Douglas McMahan, 41, of Watauga, was taken into custody in Dallas nearly three years after authorities say he joined the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat with “God” written on it in black marker.

After the riot, his Google search history included: “Can I resign from the military if I do not want to serve an illegitimate president?” and “capitol terrorists identified,” according to court papers.

He faces felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and obstruction of law enforcement, as well as additional misdemeanor offenses.

There was no lawyer immediately named in the court docket. The voice mailbox was full for a number listed for McMahan and a person who answered the phone at a number listed for a relative declined to comment.

The Air Force Reserve Command said in an emailed statement that McMahan is reservist at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. McMahan is a staff sergeant in the 301st Fighter Wing medical squadron and a traditional reservist who is not actively participating in the unit, the command said.

Authorities say McMahan was seen on camera pushing back and forth against an officer outside a Capitol door before going into the building. During another encounter with law enforcement inside, prosecutors say he attempted to swat at an officer and grabbed an officer’s fingers, appearing to crush them in his hand.

Before he left the Capitol, he was captured on video telling one officer: “You’re a traitor,” according to court papers. Later that day, he was seen outside the Capitol wearing a green ballistics helmet and carrying an American flag.

Authorities say McMahan boasted on social media about being at the riot, writing: “For those that think we went in because of Trump is uninformed. We the people are the ones that need to rid our government of corruption, abuse and tyranny!”

He is among roughly 1,200 people who have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the riot that left dozens of police officers injured and halted the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory. Those charged include dozens of former and active duty military or members of the reserve.

Oregon
Judge says ex-pilot can be released from jail pending trial
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An ex-Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight while off-duty and riding in an extra seat in the cockpit can be released from jail pending trial, an Oregon judge said Thursday.

Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Ryan made the decision as Joseph Emerson pleaded not guilty to reduced charges of reckless endangerment; he previously faced attempted murder charges.

Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, has also pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew, and the judge in that case also agreed that he could be released pending trial.

The release conditions agreed to by defense attorneys and prosecutors in the state case include that Emerson post a $50,000 bond, undergo mental health services, stay away from drugs and alcohol, and not come within 30 feet (9 meters) of an operable aircraft.

Emerson is accused of trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22 while riding in the cockpit as an off-duty pilot.

He was subdued by the flight crew and the plane was diverted to Portland, Oregon, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board.

According to charging documents, Emerson told Port of Portland police following his arrest that he had been struggling with depression, that a friend had recently died and that he had taken psychedelic mushrooms about 48 hours before he attempted to cut the engines. He also said he had not slept in more than 40 hours, according to the document.