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Sentence next for ex-Michigan trooper in teen’s death

Sentence next for ex-Michigan trooper in teen's death | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - In this April 10, 2019, file photo, former Michigan state Trooper Mark Bessner listens to Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Matthew Penney deliver his opening argument in Bessner's trial, in Detroit. Bessner is facing a prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter for firing a Taser at a Detroit teenager who crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died. He's scheduled to return to court, Monday, May 13 for his sentence. (Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News via AP, File)

DETROIT – A former Michigan state trooper is facing a prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter for firing a Taser at a Detroit teenager who crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died.

Mark Bessner quit the state police after the 2017 incident. He’s returning to court Monday for his sentence, about a month after his conviction .

Prosecutors say Bessner “committed an unspeakable act” when he fired his Taser from a moving patrol car and struck Damon (Da-MAHN’) Grimes.

Bessner’s lawyer said the officer believed Grimes had a gun in his waistband, but the 15-year-old didn’t have a weapon.

Bessner, who is white, didn’t testify at the second trial. During his first trial, which ended without a verdict, he said he was “shocked” to learn that the black teen didn’t have a gun.

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Abbey Westbury

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