US policeman acquitted of killing unarmed man who begged for his life

Officials in the southwestern US state of Arizona released a graphic video Friday showing an unarmed man sobbing and begging for his life moments before he was fatally shot by a police officer who was acquitted of murder.

It was the latest in a spate of killings that have prompted criminal charges against law enforcement officials.

Philip Brailsford, who shot and killed Daniel Shaver in the hallway of a hotel in January 2016, was acquitted of second-degree murder as well as reckless manslaughter by a jury on Thursday, according to USA Today.

Bodycam footage made public following the verdict showed Shaver, a married 26-year-old father of two, on his knees complying with the officers' instructions over the course of several minutes and saying "Please don't shoot me" and "Please don't shoot."