A Portland jury acquitted a man who admitted to stabbing a stranger after video captured the victim using a racial slur in the aftermath of the attack.
Multnomah County prosecutors charged Gary Edwards, 43, with second-degree assault for the July 7 knife attack on Gregory Howard Jr. near the Union Station MAX stop, according to Oregon Live. Edwards faced five years and 10 months in state prison under Oregon’s Measure 11 sentencing law.
Edwards testified he acted in self-defense after Howard yelled the slur at him. Howard denied using the word before the stabbing.
Transit cameras showed Edwards approaching Howard from behind with a fixed-blade knife as Howard sat on a bench. Howard jumped up and pushed Edwards when he saw him. The two scuffled briefly before Edwards stabbed Howard in the shoulder.