Jury to decide whether officer fatally shooting handcuffed man was justified

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) — A Maryland jury will decide in the coming weeks whether a Prince George’s County police officer broke the law when he shot and killed a handcuffed man in 2020. A trial began Tuesday for Michael Owen Jr., who 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. He faces second-degree murder and other charges. The Washington Post reports that prosecutors and defense attorneys disputed whether the officer acted in self-defense when he fired seven shots at 43-year-old William Green. The trial was set to continue Wednesday.