Ex-San Diego deputy who shot fleeing man seeks trial delay, citing shootings by feds in Minnesota

A former San Diego County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a fleeing detainee in the back nearly six years ago is seeking to delay his federal civil rights trial scheduled for later this month, arguing he can’t receive a fair trial “given the current political climate” in the wake of two recent fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Aaron Richard Russell is charged with depriving Nicholas Bils of his rights under color of law for shooting the unarmed Bils in the back in May 2020 outside the downtown Central Jail. Russell was previously tried on that same charge last year, but a judge declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked. A new trial is slated to begin Feb. 17.

Russell is now seeking to postpone the trial 90 days, arguing that the recent killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis have “dominated the news cycle,” and that given the similarities to Russell’s case, ju...