Paralyzed man pushing DA for retrial decision

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Attorneys for a young black man paralyzed by a Pittsburgh officer say his life is being endangered by a prosecutor’s delay in deciding whether to retry the man on some counts stemming from the traffic stop during which he was wounded.

Allegheny County prosecutors have a year to decide whether to retry 21-year-old Leon Ford, who was acquitted of aggravated assault in September by a jury that couldn’t decide lesser charges against him.

Ford’s attorneys say he is delaying surgery for a bullet near his spine so he can help his attorneys prepare for the retrial. They want a judge to order the DA to decide on a retrial sooner.

Ford was shot by an officer who crawled into his car before it drove away during a November 2012 traffic stop. Ford says police wrongly provoked the confrontation.