Mistrial declared for Va. officer charged with manslaughter

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The trial of a Virginia police officer charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a mentally ill man has ended in a mistrial.

Edmund “Ryan” Hoyt, a patrol officer with the Norfolk Police Department, was charged with voluntary manslaughter in the 2020 death of Kelvin White near a Chesapeake grocery store.

Hoyt was off duty at the time of the shooting.

He said he acted in self defense, but prosecutors argued he “overstepped” and wrongly killed White.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that a Chesapeake Circuit Court judge declared a mistrial Thursday after jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked after deliberating for about nine hours over two days.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up