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| Updated: 3/02 11:01 pm |
Published: 2/28 5:06 pm |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Tensions ran high on Thursday as a former Little Rock Police officer left his arraignment on manslaughter charges.
Fired Little Rock Police officer Josh Hastings pleaded not guilty to manslaughter Thursday morning, nearly six months after the shooting death of 15-year-old Bobby Moore at a Little Rock apartment complex.
But it's what happened after court that has people talking.
The judge set a trial date for Josh Hastings after he pleaded not guilty for the shooting death of Bobby Moore, but things quickly turned right after Hastings left the courtroom.
A ruckus on the fourth floor turned into a melee.
Hastings told deputies that someone spat on him as he walked out of the courtroom, and it didn't take long before court officials found out who did it.
When asked why she spat on Hastings, 27-year-old Starkeshia Perkins answered, "For killing my cousin."
Perkins, a cousin of Bobby Moore, says she aimed at Hastings because he didn't accept blame for the death of the teen.
"We were hoping he would plead guilty and not take this to trial, but it didn't happen that way," Perkins said.
But Hastings' attorney says his client acted in self defense, claiming that Hastings feared for his life when he saw Moore drive toward him, even though police say Moore was driving in the opposite direction.
"We can't go and sit behind the desk and replay it over and try to figure out what's best to do in quick seconds," said Bill James, Hastings' attorney.
The victim's family says they plan to pack the courtroom again, hoping a jury decides in their favor, but Perkins will not be allowed to attend the trial after Thursday's spitting incident.
When asked if she regrets what happened, Perkins said, "Yes."
She now faces charges of third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
