Former Arlington police officer Ravinder Singh, who was accused of negligent homicide in the death of a woman in 2019, was found not guilty by a Tarrant County jury on Monday.
The jury was handed the case shortly after 5 p.m. Friday and deliberated for about three hours before being sent home for the weekend.
Deliberations resumed Monday morning before the verdict was read at about 3:50 p.m.
The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office issued a statement after the jury's verdict was read saying that anytime use of force results in the death of a civilian they take the case to a grand jury and if the grand jury returns an indictment they prosecute the case.
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"A jury heard the facts related to the death of Ms. Brooks in 2019. They evaluated the testimony and evidence and determined that Ravinder Singh was not guilty," the district attorney's office said. "By doing so, the jury fulfilled their duty in the criminal justice system, as did we."
Prior to closing arguments on Friday afternoon, Singh informed the court that he did not plan to testify in his own defense.
Had he been convicted Singh faced a maximum of two years in state jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
WOMAN KILLED WHEN OFFICER TARGETS CHARGING DOG
Former Arlington police officer Ravinder Singh is accused of shooting and killing 30-year-old Margarita Brooks while shooting at her charging dog.
Brooks was the subject of a welfare call on Aug. 1, 2019, where she was reportedly passed out in a grassy area near the intersection of Cantor Drive and North Collins Street.
Police said Singh called out to the woman and that her dog then started barking and running toward him. Arlington police said in 2019 the officer retreated, pulled out his gun and fired toward the dog several times.
MAGGIE BROOKS SHOOTING
Afterward, Brooks started to cry out and it was apparent she had been injured, police said.
Brooks, who was a mother to three children, was hospitalized and later died. Her cause of death was ruled a homicide.
Singh resigned from the department in November 2019 amid an administrative investigation and in September 2020 he was indicted on a charge of criminally negligent homicide by a Tarrant County grand jury.
Brooks' family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in July 2021 asking for at least $2 million in restitution.
"There's no winners in this," said the victim's father Troy Brooks outside the courtroom. "That's a young man in there. This changes the course of his life. We can't get Maggie back."
NBC 5's Scott Gordon contributed to this story.
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