Closing arguments set in trial of Houston area officer who shot ballplayer
By APTuesday, May 11, 2010
Closing arguments set in ballplayer’s shooting
HOUSTON — The fate of a Houston-area police officer on trial for a 2008 shooting that sparked accusations of racial profiling could soon be in the hands of a jury.
Closing arguments were set for Tuesday in the trial of Bellaire police Sgt. Jeffrey Cotton, accused by prosecutors of shooting Robert Tolan without justification. The unarmed aspiring baseball player was mistakenly believed to be an auto theft suspect.
Cotton’s attorneys say the shooting was justified because the officer believed Tolan was reaching into his waistband for a weapon as he was coming toward Cotton.
If convicted, Cotton faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
Tolan is the son of former major league baseball player Bobby Tolan.
