A sheriff’s deputy has been convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a PBS NewsHour shuttle driver last May, reports the Washington Post.
After two days of deliberations, the jury recommended a six-year sentence Dec. 13 for Craig Patterson, an Arlington (Va.) County deputy.
Dawkins was shot in the early morning hours of May 22. He had worked for the NewsHour for nearly three years. Patterson was arrested eight days later. Though he was charged with first-degree murder, the jury convicted him of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors said the men had a verbal altercation. Patterson testified that he thought Dawkins was armed. He said he fired his weapon when Dawkins lunged toward him.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 6.