Former St. Louis officer who shot suspect in 2018 found not guilty

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A judge has ruled that a former St. Louis police officer was not guilty of assault for shooting a suspected carjacker in 2018, ruling he acted in self-defense. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Judge John T. Bird wrote that the shooting by Matthew EerNisse was “objectively reasonable,” given the circumstances. EerNisse chased the suspect into an alley and claimed that the man reached into his waistband, then tried to take the officer’s gun. But prosecutors contended that EerNisse “recklessly” shot at the unarmed suspect, who was struck in the back of the thigh and arm. The suspect survived and was sentenced in 2019 to 11 years in prison for two separate carjackings.