A New York state trooper was acquitted of manslaughter on Wednesday, more than two years after he fatally shot an unarmed man in Buffalo.
Anthony Nigro, 40, had been charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter for killing James Huber, 38, following a 2022 high-speed chase through western New York.
Cops gave up the chase after Huber got off the highway, but Nigro encountered him in downtown Buffalo and blocked the street with his patrol vehicle, according to bodycam footage.
Nigro got out of his car, drew his gun and ran up to Huber’s driver’s-side window. Huber then put the car in reverse, and Nigro opened fire.
“I felt like I was going to get sucked underneath the vehicle, this man was going to kill me,” Nigro testified at trial.
The motion of the car knocked Nigro backwards, and he fell to the ground after shooting, according to the footage.
Police had started pursuing Huber on Feb. 23, 2022 near Brant after noticing him driving erratically and reaching speeds over 100 mph. Officers followed Huber on I-90 and I-190 before he exited the highway in Buffalo.
New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the charges against Nigro in June 2023 under her authority to investigate police shootings in the state. In September, Nigro chose a bench trial instead of a jury.
Eric County Judge James Bargnesi delivered the ruling Wednesday following a week-long trial.
“He did what we expect heroic troopers to do: He put himself in harm’s way to solve a dangerous threat,” Nigro’s defense attorney, John D’Alessandro, said after the trial. He argued that charges never should’ve been filed in the first place.
With News Wire Services
