White Officer with Red Devil Tattoo Acquitted in Beer Theft Shooting Case: New Trial Granted After Jury Verdict Overturned

A white police officer from New Mexico, known for his red devil tattoo, faced manslaughter charges after fatally shooting Presley Eze, a 36-year-old Black man accused of shoplifting a Budweiser in 2022. In February, Officer Brad Lunsford was convicted, but a state judge later overturned the jury's decision, asserting the evidence during the eight-day trial was “weak in proof.”Lunsford subsequently texted fellow officers, including his police chief, during the trial and later deleted these messages to prevent them from being used in an impending civil case. Released from custody five weeks post-conviction by Judge Roy, Lunsford awaits both a new criminal trial and civil proceedings initiated by Eze’s family. Eze, who worked as a nurse and had no criminal record, died during an encounter with police where Lunsford allegedly used unnecessary force. (Photo: body camera video)