Public Media from Michigan State University

Second Trial Set For Ex-Michigan Trooper In Boy's Death

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A former Michigan state trooper will face a second trial in April in the death of a Detroit boy who crashed an all-terrain vehicle after he was shot with a Taser.

Mark Bessner's first trial ended without a unanimous verdict on Oct. 31. A judge on Wednesday set another trial for April 1.

Bessner is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of 15-year-old Damon (Da-MAHN') Grimes, who crashed an ATV in August 2017.

Bessner shot Grimes from the passenger seat of a moving patrol car as he and his partner pursued the boy at high speed. Bessner says he believed Grimes was armed, but the teen had no weapon. He quit the state police.

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