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Leon Ford's Lawyer Gives Closing Arguments, Says Officers 'Terrorized' Then Paralyzed His Client

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PITTSBURGH (AP) - An attorney for a black man shot by one of three white Pittsburgh police officers involved in a 2012 traffic stop told a federal jury his client was wrongly "intimidated," ''threatened," ''terrorized" and "ultimately paralyzed" in closing arguments of the civil rights lawsuit against two of the officers.

Only Officers David Derbish and Anthony Miller face potential liability for the injuries suffered by 24-year-old Leon Ford.

Ford's attorney, Fred Rabner, told the jury Tuesday the officers were "pals" who covered up wrongly detaining Ford because they thought he was a gang member with a similar name, age and appearance.

Paul Krepps, the officers' attorney, defended their actions saying the entire stop was 15 minutes and Derbish shot Ford during a frantic 7-second interval when Ford's car drove forward as the officer struggled to pull Ford from the vehicle.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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