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Jury finds Norfolk Police officer not guilty of manslaughter in shooting death of mentally ill man

Posted at 5:41 PM, Oct 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-06 19:52:52-04

NORFOLK, Va. - Thursday marked the second day of jury deliberations in the case of Norfolk Police officer Michael Edington.

The jury found Edington not guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

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Michael Edington hugs his mother after not guilty verdict was read.

Edington was accused of shooting and killing David Latham, a mentally ill man who was threatening his family with a knife in June 2014.

After lengthy closing arguments from prosecuting and defense attorneys, the jury came to their decision of not guilty.

In the commonwealth's closing argument, he said David Latham never made a threatening step toward Edington.

Edington testified that Latham took a small side step while holding the knife, which is what prompted him to begin shooting.

The commonwealth pointed out, Edington never told police about the step in three separate statements.

The defense gave their closing argument for nearly an hour and a half on Wednesday. The attorney said Edington was following his training, and felt that he and Latham's family was in danger.

Click here for full coverage on the story and trial