When veteran Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson handed down his judgment Friday acquitting former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley of first-degree murder in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith, he released a 30-page ruling describing his reasons for the judgment.
Wilson outlines two big findings in the case.
First, the court doubted Stockley made any plan to kill Smith based, in part, on the pressures of a high-speed car chase.
Second, the court concluded that Stockley acted in self-defense. The judge said the placement of gunshot wounds on Smith's left side supported the claim Smith was reaching for something, like a gun.
You can read all of the judge's final thoughts in the document below.
Document not showing up? Click here to read it on Scribd.