‘Extremely Disappointed’: New Mexico Cop Who Shot Black Nurse Accused of Stealing Beer at Point-Blank Range Found Guilty of Manslaughter, Leaving Attorney Furious Over ‘Unjust’ Verdict

A former New Mexico police officer who was accused of fatally shooting a Black man at a gas station in 2022 has been convicted of voluntary manslaughter. Brad Lunsford shot 36-year-old Presley Eze at point-blank range during a confrontation at a Las Cruces gas station in August 2022. Las Cruces Police Officer Brad Lunsford was convicted of manslaughter in connection to the death of Presley Eze. (Photos: NBC News/ Youtube screenshot, Pipe Hitter Foundation) During his trial, prosecutors stated that Lunsford and Officer Keagan Arbogast were called to a Chevron gas station after a clerk dialed 911 and reported that Eze stole a beer and was drinking it in the parking lot with friends, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. When the cops approached Eze, who was unarmed, they tried to physically remove him from his vehicle, but used a “poor extraction technique.” Arbogast wrapped his arms around Eze’s midsection in an attempt to take him to the ground, but the maneuver failed and Eze ended up landing on top of him. Eze then grabbed Arbogast’s stun gun, and when Lunsford saw this, he pulled his firearm and shot Eze at “contact range” without warning, prosecutors stated. Lunsford also made...