ST. LOUIS (AP) — A prosecutor at the second day of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley’s murder trial is questioning Stockley’s actions, and those of his colleagues, on the day of the killing.
Stockley, who is white, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011. Smith, a black drug suspect, was shot inside his rented Buick after a chase. Stockley’s attorneys say Smith had a gun and was shot by Stockley in self-defense. Prosecutors contend the gun was planted.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that during testimony from three officers, assistant circuit attorney Robert Steele questioned why Stockley was allowed to return to Smith’s car after the shooting, and why none of the multiple officers on the scene gave aid to the gravely wounded suspect.