Jury expected to begin deliberations in officer’s trial

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A jury is expected to begin deliberations Monday in the trial of an Oklahoma City police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man who had doused himself in lighter fluid and was threatening to set himself on fire.

Sgt. Keith Sweeney is charged with second-degree murder in the Nov. 15, 2017, shooting death of 29-year-old Dustin Pigeon. If convicted, he faces 10 years to life in prison.

The 34-year-old Sweeney was among the officers responding to reports of a suicidal person who found Pigeon holding a lighter and threatening to set himself on fire.

Prosecutors say Sweeney shot Pigeon after another officer fired a bean bag. Two fellow officers testified they didn’t believe Pigeon posed a threat.

Sweeney’s attorney Gary James says Sweeney didn’t know whether Pigeon had a weapon.