YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — Closing arguments are expected Monday in Yakima in the trial of a Spokane police officer accused of using excessive force in the death of a mentally ill man.
Officer Karl Thompson testified in his defense Friday and denied lying about what happened at a convenience store in 2006 when he confronted Otto Zehm who had been mistakenly accused of taking money from an ATM
Thompson has pleaded not guilty to charges of violating Zehm’s civil rights. Thompson says he followed his training.
A medical examiner found that Zehm died from lack of oxygen to the brain due to heart failure while being restrained on his stomach.
