On the same day a Staten Island jury found an NYPD officer not guilty of any charges related to the illegal chokehold death of Eric Garner, a former police chief in Eutawville, South Carolina, has been indicted on a murder charge for the 2011 shooting death of an unarmed black man he was trying to arrest, according to records released on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.
Former police chief Richard Combs fatally shot Eutawville resident Bernard Bailey, 54, in the town hall parking lot in May 2011 after the two argued and scuffled over a traffic ticket previously issued to Bailey's daughter.
Court records show Combs had been indicted in August 2013 in connection with the shooting on a misconduct in office charge, and a grand jury found that his use of deadly force was unjustified, according to the AP.
Combs said he shot Bailey in self defense, but a judge recently rejected his "Stand Your Ground" claim in the earlier case.
Wally Fayssoux, one of the lawyers who is representing Combs, said Bailey put Combs in "an impossible situation," adding, "he had no choice."
The prosecutor's office had indicted Combs more than a year ago, and is considering a murder charge against him, the AP reported.
