A Portland jury has cleared a Black man of assault charges after a dramatic courtroom revelation about a racial slur changed the trajectory of the case. Gary Edwards, 43, faced second-degree assault charges for stabbing a white man, Gregory Howard Jr., 43, but jurors ultimately ruled in Edwards’ favor.
The incident occurred on July 7 on Northwest 5th Street, according to local reports from KPTV. Surveillance footage captured the tense encounter between the two men, both of whom are homeless and have criminal histories.
Although the video showed Edwards approaching Howard with a fixed-blade knife, the sequence of events leading up to the stabbing painted a more complicated picture. As Howard saw Edwards coming, he jumped up from a bench and shoved him. The men briefly scuffled against a wall before Edwards stabbed Howard in the shoulder.
“There is no audio on the video,” explained Edwards’ defense attorney, Daniel Small, “but my client was approaching Howard to see if he would trade his knife for cigarettes.” Small told jurors that the confrontation escalated quickly, and Edwards acted in self-defense.
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