Ex-policeman Zechariah Presley acquitted of killing unarmed Black man

Source: kali9 / Getty

Ex-Cop Acquitted Of Killing Unarmed Black Man Following Traffic Stop

If Amber Guyger‘s murder conviction gave you a false sense that things are changing in the criminal justice system then allow us to burst your bubble.

It’s business as usual when it comes to cops being held accountable for killing unarmed Black people. According to WABE, a jury acquitted former Georgia cop Zechariah Presley, of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter after he killed Tony Green. We reported on the 2018 shooting that took place after Green fled the scene of a traffic stop and was subsequently shot in the back several times.

Presley was, however, inexplicably convicted of “violating his oath of office” and is facing one to five years in prison. He was ordered to jail until sentencing on October 18.

Here’s what Pastor Mack De’Von Knight, Tony Green’s church leader, had to say about the unacceptable sentence:

“He admitted that he killed Tony Green in cold blood,” Knight said. “To me, it’s hunting season for the young black man and we’re being gunned down in the streets and there’s no repercussions, there’s no consequences for these officers.”

The prosecutor made the issue plain and simple during his closing argument:

“He made a fatal mistake and it was a mistake that cost a man his life,” prosecutor Rocky Bridges said of Presley in his closing argument. “You don’t have to like Tony Green. … He ran from the police, not a good decision. But he was not armed. He did not turn on officer Presley. He did not deserve to die.”

Period.