Arkansas officer acquitted in death of man holding BB gun

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A jury has acquitted a Little Rock police officer who was accused of using excessive force in the 2016 fatal shooting of a man holding a BB gun. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports jurors deliberated for about three hours on Monday before returning with a not guilty verdict for officer Dennis Hutchins. Hutchins and another Little Rock police officer responded to a call where they were told one of the men, Roy Richards Jr., was armed. It was later learned that the rifle Richards was holding was a BB or pellet gun. Tom Carpenter, Little Rock’s city attorney, said Hutchins reacted to what he saw as a “life-ending” situation.