BUFFALO, N.Y. — A New York State trooper was on trial for manslaughter in connection with the death of a man following a high-speed chase more than two years ago and has been found not guilty by a judge.
An Erie County judge sided with Trooper Anthony Nigro Wednesday and ruled that his use of deadly force that killed James Huber in February of 2022 was justified.
The decision centered around body cam video from Trooper Nigro and captured the moments after the 45-minute high-speed chase.
It started in the Town of Brant, ran along the I-90 and I-190, and ended in downtown Buffalo with a deadly altercation.
Nigro testified Tuesday that when he spotted the suspect vehicle stopped near the intersection of East Eagle Street and Washington Street he saw his chance to "end the chaos."
He testified that he reached into the vehicle to try and unlock the door, which didn't work, so then he tried to pull the driver, later identified as James Huber of Pennsylvania out of the car but that didn't work either.
Then through tears, the trooper said when the car began accelerating backward: "I felt like I was going to get sucked underneath the vehicle. This man was going to kill me."
Nigro then testified he made the conscious decision to fire two shots and "terminate the threat."
Nigro’s attorney told the court this case should have never been brought to begin with because his client was acting to protect his own life.
But the prosecution called the state trooper's action unnecessary, fueled by anger and frustration, not fear.
The judge ultimately sided with the state trooper just 45 mins after closing arguments — a timeline attorney Barry Covert said had more to do with who made the decision and the fact that it was a non-jury trial. He said that is likely the reason the defense decided to waive the jury.
“When you don't have to have 12 jurors deliberate, you just have one person making the decision, by its very nature, you can get a faster decision,” Covert said. “When you go non-jury, you take the emotions of the jurors out of the case. Clearly, the defense lawyers in this case wanted those emotions out of the case.”
New York State Police Benevolent Association issued this statement following the verdict:
The New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association (NYSTPBA) is pleased that an Erie County Court judge has found Trooper Anthony Nigro IV not guilty of the criminal charges brought against him. We commend the judge for his decision, as it is clear the charges were not applicable to this case. Furthermore, we thank the judge for his careful consideration of the facts and his recognition that Trooper Nigro’s actions were in accordance with his training and the law, and he was justified in his use of force. This is also a victory for law enforcement professionals, who are facing increasingly violent suspects and are forced to make split-second, life-and-death decisions to protect themselves and the public.
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