SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - A judge has ruled that a former part-time northeastern Pennsylvania police officer cannot argue self-defense in the off-duty shooting death of a man outside his apartment a year ago.
But The (Scranton) Times-Tribune (https://bit.ly/2lD2g2C ) reports that the Lackawanna County judge said former Carbondale patrolman Francis Schulze can argue that he was justified in using deadly force in his role as a police officer.
The ruling means Schulze could still prevail on the issue if he can prove he reasonably believed that 34-year-old Joe Molinaro committed a crime or posed a threat. The judge is also allowing presentation of some evidence about Molinaro’s criminal history.
Authorities allege that the 26-year-old defendant confronted Molinaro and his girlfriend outside his home in February 2016, pursued the fleeing man and shot him twice.
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Information from: The Times-Tribune, https://thetimes-tribune.com/
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