Jury clears Bridgeport cop, city in fatal shooting

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A state civil court jury has cleared a Bridgeport police lieutenant and the city of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a South Carolina man in 2008.

The Bridgeport Superior Court jury on Tuesday rejected claims made in a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of Frederick McAllister of Florence, S.C. The Connecticut Post reports that jurors found that Lt. Brian Fitzgerald used reasonable force when he shot the 33-year-old McAllister in the back at a housing complex.

A state prosecutor had cleared Fitzgerald of criminal wrongdoing, saying McAllister refused orders to put his hands up and reached for his waistband before being shot. McAllister was unarmed. The shooting followed a car chase.

Tuesday's verdict angered McAllister's relatives. His mother, Martha McAllister, says her son's shooting was unjust.

___

Information from: Connecticut Post