A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Joke About Killing of Mentally Ill Man Allowed in Officer's Trial

creative commons

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A jury will be allowed to hear testimony that a police officer joked about shooting to death a mentally ill black man. 

The Virginian-Pilot reports that a judge is allowing the testimony at the officer's upcoming trial on manslaughter charges.

Norfolk officer Michael Edington Jr. shot and killed 35-year-old David Latham in 2014. Latham suffered from schizophrenia and had a knife when he answered the door to his home. Court documents allege that Edington joked about the incident a month later at a party with fellow officers.

Edington's lawyers tried to block the information from coming out at trial, saying it was immaterial to the case.  

A police department spokeswoman says that Edington still works for the Norfolk Police Department at a desk job.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.