Jurors in Ex-Cop Ray Tensing's Murder Trial Visit Scene of Fatal Cincinnati Shooting

Ray Tensing is charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter.

ByABC News
November 1, 2016, 1:59 PM

— -- Jurors visited the scene of a deadly traffic stop shooting in Ohio this morning in a trial for a former police officer charged with murder.

Former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing, who is white, fatally shot 43-year-old Sam DuBose, an unarmed black man, after Tensing pulled DuBose's car over near the University of Cincinnati in July 2015. Tensing's body camera video shows him shooting DuBose.

Tensing, 26, lost his job after the shooting and was charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty.

Jury selection for the high-profile trial took place on Monday. Jurors today were brought to the scene of the traffic stop shooting in the Mt. Auburn neighborhood of Cincinnati before opening arguments began, according to ABC Cincinnati affiliate WCPO-TV.

Prosecutors told the court, "You will hear from Tensing's own mouth that he intentionally shot Mr. DuBose in the head." Prosecutors called the shooting "completely intentional" and "truly unjustified."

Tensing's defense attorneys said Tensing's actions were "justified." The defense said Tensing was close to being run over by DuBose's car; while DuBose didn't have a gun, the defense said DuBose turned his car into a weapon. The defense said Tensing instinctively drew his weapon and fired "to stop the threat" and save his own life.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters last year called the shooting "an asinine act which did not have to occur."

Tensing's attorney has said Tensing feared for his life.

The murder charge carries the possibility of life in prison. The voluntary manslaughter charge carries the possibility of 3 to 11 years in prison.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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