Ex-Aurora cop found not guilty in pistol-whipping case
DENVER (KDVR) — A jury on Thursday found a former Aurora police officer not guilty on all charges in a 2021 arrest in which he repeatedly hit a Black man with a gun and strangled him.
That former officer, John Haubert, was facing assault and other charges related to the violent arrest. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and trial began last week. Closing arguments were heard on Wednesday.
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The victim in the case, Kyle Vinson, was taken to the hospital for welts and a cut on his head that required six stitches. According to the arrest affidavit, Haubert held his hand around Vinson’s neck for 39 seconds, “strangling” the Black man.
The Aurora Police Department’s chief at the time, Vanessa Wilson, called Vinson’s arrest a “very despicable act.”
“It was a crime, it was wrong, and he should be held accountable for it,” said a prosecutor during closing arguments on Wednesday. “Mr. Vinson was struggling to breath as the defendant put his weight and squeezed his neck.”
Haubert’s lawyers argue that Vinson had a warrant for his arrest due to a probation violation and that Vinson reached for the officer’s gun.
“Kyle Vinson grabbed for Mr. Haubert’s gun,” a defense attorney told the jury. “That’s not OK. Police officers, according to all the evidence that we heard, once that happens they can use deadly force.”
After the verdict on Thursday, 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner issued a statement.
“While we are disappointed in the verdict, we respect the jury’s decision. We have a duty to investigate and prosecute cases we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. This verdict does not change our commitment to seeking justice for victims,” Kellner said.
The case all started when police responded in July 2021 to a parking lot on a report of trespassing. Two other men fled the police successfully, but Vinson was ordered to get on his stomach and put his hands out. He did so, but repeatedly voiced his opposition to the arrest.
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Police say Vinson did have a warrant for his arrest for a probation violation.
In 2021, Vinson told The Associated Press he was a homeless Army veteran trying to take a break from the midday heat when police approached. When the arrest turned violent, he told the AP he thought about never being able to see his brother or his friends, ride his bicycle or eat again.
In June 2023, another former Aurora officer who was on scene for Vinson’s arrest was sentenced for standing by when he was strangled.
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