Verdict reached in trial of ex Fresno County deputy accused of fatally shooting sergeant
Former Fresno County Sheriff’s deputy Jared Mullis was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter Thursday in the 2016 shooting death of his friend and colleague Sgt. Rod Lucas.
Mullis broke down and cried as Judge Timothy Kam’s clerk read the verdict. It took the jury about 90 minutes to come to a decision after a week-long trial with more than a dozen witnesses.
Mullis’ wife also began sobbing as Mullis rushed to embrace her.
Across the aisle, family members and supporters of Lucas were shocked by the jury’s decision. Several family members sat in silence, their heads bowed.
At issue for the jury was whether Mullis was criminally negligent when he passed his holstered gun to Lucas on Oct. 31, 2016. The deputies, who were part of the department’s Special Investigations Unit, were hanging out in their office near Fresno Yosemite International Airport when the shooting happened.
During his closing statement, defense attorney Roger Wilson said Lucas’s death wasn’t criminal, it was simply a tragic accident.
“There was no animosity there, Jared loved Rod,” he said. “This was just a horrible tragedy and no one was to blame.”
Prosecutor Amy Freeman relied on several witnesses who testified Mullis took his handgun out of its holster to show Lucas how well it retained the gun. Soon after, a shot rang out and Lucas was hit once in the chest. He later died at Community Regional Medical Center.
Mullis was facing up to four years in prison if he was found guilty. He declined to comment after the verdict, but did say through his attorney he was was grateful to the jury for the outcome.
Robert Rodriguez: (559) 441-6327, @fresnobeebob
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 5:46 PM.
