Black man acquitted of killing white man after race dispute

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — A black man has been acquitted of all charges in the shooting death of a white man outside a Pennsylvania bar in a case his attorney said stemmed from “ugly racism.”

Thirty-one-year-old Stephen Spencer had been accused of killing 32-year-old Christopher Williams in July 2017 outside the Pittston in July 2017 after someone refused to shake hands to settle a dispute over a game of pool.

Spencer testified he fired in self-defense as a group of would-be attackers came at him outside.

Prosecutors had argued that Spencer had the opportunity and the duty to retreat rather than pull his gun. The defense painted Spencer as a family man and homeowner who was licensed to carry the gun and had no criminal record.