A Maryland police officer has been acquitted of all charges in the fatal shooting of a handcuffed man, leaving the officer partially paralyzed after being struck by a reckless driver on Interstate 270 in Montgomery County. The officer, Michael Owen Jr., had served on the police force for 10 years and became the first officer in the county’s history to be charged with murder in an on-duty killing.
The jury deliberated for less than two hours before delivering a not guilty verdict, clearing Owen of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, voluntary manslaughter, and misconduct in office. Owen’s attorneys argued that he acted in self-defense during a struggle in which the handcuffed man, William Green, tried to grab his gun. Green was fatally shot by Owen while sitting in the front seat of the officer’s police cruiser in 2020.
While both the prosecution and defense agreed that Owen shot Green while he was handcuffed in the cruiser, they disputed other aspects of the case, including whether a struggle occurred before the shooting and whether Owen’s actions were in self-defense. Despite these disagreements, the jury ultimately found Owen not guilty on all charges.
The fatal shooting took place in Prince George’s County, where a $20 million settlement was later announced by county officials with Green’s family. Prince George’s County has nearly 1 million residents and is home to Maryland’s fourth-largest law-enforcement agency, with over 1,500 officers covering the Washington, D.C. suburbs.
According to a police report, Owen had handcuffed Green behind his back after responding to a traffic accident and finding him sleeping in his vehicle, potentially under the influence of an unknown substance. Owen then placed Green in the front passenger seat of his patrol car. Notably, Owen was not wearing a body camera during the encounter.
Owen’s lead defense attorney, Thomas Mooney, argued that the shooting was an act of self-defense. He presented evidence of damage to the inside of Owen’s vehicle and called another officer to testify that Owen had informed him that Green had reached for his gun. Mooney also raised concerns about weaknesses and inconsistencies in the initial police investigation, questioning the basis for charging Owen with murder when key pieces of evidence were in conflict.
The acquittal of Officer Michael Owen Jr. has sparked further debate and scrutiny over police use of force and the circumstances surrounding the shooting. This case adds to the ongoing conversation about police accountability and the need for transparency in law enforcement actions.
