Ex-officer sentenced to 25 years for killing suicidal man
A former Alabama police officer has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2018 shooting death of a suicidal man who was holding a gun to his own head
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A judge sentenced a former Alabama police officer to 25 years in prison Friday for the shooting death of a suicidal man who was holding a gun to his own head.
Former Huntsville police officer William “Ben” Darby was convicted in May of killing Jeffrey Parker in 2018. Darby shot Parker while responding to a call after the man phoned 911 saying he was armed and planned to kill himself.
Prosecutors argued during the sentencing hearing that Darby's lack of willingness to admit wrongdoing and the “gravity of what he did to Jeffery Parker" deserved a long sentence, news outlets reported. Darby and others pleaded for leniency, saying there was no evil intent when he pulled the trigger.
“After the shooting, I would wake up in the middle of the night… I would think about Mr. Parker. I would think about his face. I would think about his fiancé," Darby said, according to WHNT.
"There is no evil intent,” Darby said. “There is no malice… I am human. I am Christian The taking of a human life was not lost on me… I’m asking for mercy, I’m asking for leniency.”
The case drew additional controversy when Darby was allowed to remain on city payroll for two months after his conviction.
The guilty verdict was criticized by both the mayor and police chief, but lauded by the victim’s family, who said they hope it will spur law enforcement to change how they approach mental health crises.
During the trial, jurors saw video of the shooting taken from police body cameras, and Darby testified that he feared seeing “one of my officers” get hurt and fired after Parker only shrugged when ordered to put down the gun he was holding to his own head.
“An innocent man was murdered,” prosecutor Tim Gann told jurors in closing arguments this spring. “He called for help and he got Ben Darby.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.