A mistrial was declared Monday at the manslaughter trial of an undercover police officer who shot unarmed art restorer Ousmane Zongo in a Manhattan warehouse. "After careful and considerable deliberations, we, the jury, cannot reach a unanimous verdict," said the note read by state Supreme Court Justice Daniel FitzGerald. "We have thoroughly examined the facts and charges and no further deliberations will resolve our differences." Officer Brian Conroy was tried for the May 22, 2003, killing of Zongo, a married father of two from West Africa who worked in the warehouse. Conroy, 25, would have faced up to 15 years in prison if he had been convicted. The courtroom was packed with uniformed police officers, behind the defense table, and supporters of the Zongos, behind the prosecution table. When the judge asked the jurors if they were sure, they all nodded in agreement, some closing their eyes; he reassured them that some issues are not easily resolved. The judge ordered all the parties back to court on April 7 for motions and discussion of a probable retrial. Zongo's wife, Salimata Sanfo, said later through an interpreter that she has confidence in God and the jury system, and she believes truth and justice will be served in the near future. Sanfo has no ill feelings toward police in general - only against Conroy, because "he is a killer," she said through the interpreter. The trial was the first involving a city police officer in a fatal shooting since Amadou Diallo was infamously gunned down in the Bronx six years ago - a case that also involved an unarmed West African immigrant. [more]
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- Pictured above: Al Sharpton with widow Salimata Sanfo at a press conference before the verdict was rendered.