ºüÀêÊÓƵ

ST. LOUIS — A federal jury in ºüÀêÊÓƵ on Friday found five police officers were not liable for the death of a 21-year-old killed in 2017 when a SWAT team stormed into a south city home to serve a warrant.

Attorneys representing the mother of Isaiah Hammett argued during trial this week that the officers violated Hammett’s civil rights when they burst into the home on South Kingshighway without knocking, exchanged gunfire with Hammett through a bedroom door and then killed him when he appeared in the dining room.

They said Hammett came out of the back of the house to surrender, and instead, the officers killed him.

Attorneys for the officers, however, argued Hammett shot at officers entering the home that day, and the officers were just protecting themselves. Crime scene photographs showed an AK-47-style rifle next to Hammett’s body and multiple shell casings that matched the gun in the bedroom.

“They did the only thing they could — return fire and defend themselves,� said city attorney Andrew Wheaton.

The trial comes more than seven years after Hammett was killed. Hammett’s death sparked protests, calls for justice and a lawsuit from Hammett’s mother, Gina Torres, who had long disputed police accounts of his death.

Torres said she was “shocked� when she heard Friday’s verdict and felt sure that the jury would see her side of the story.

“They took my life from me,� Torres said. “They took my baby.�

Jurors at the federal court in downtown ºüÀêÊÓƵ heard from members of the SWAT team, investigators, Torres, Torres’ father and expert witnesses about the events of that day.

They heard that Hammett was being investigated for gang activity, as well as a recent homicide, and how police planned to search the home at 5414 South Kingshighway for guns and drugs.

Hammett’s family members denied that he was involved in any sort of wrongdoing and described him as a loving person who cared for his grandfather and younger siblings.

The incident occurred at 11:30 a.m. June 7, 2017. SWAT team members approached the home in the city’s Princeton Heights neighborhood and lined up behind an officer carrying a shield.

They noticed a camera on the porch. Fearing they’d be seen by someone inside, they decided not to knock. Instead, they burst through the door yelling, “Police! Search warrant!�

They were met with gunfire coming through a bedroom door, and some of the officers returned fire. The firing stopped for more than 30 seconds, police said, and then a man — Hammett — appeared, holding a gun.

They fired at least 85 rounds all told.

Torres, Hammett’s mother, argued it was excessive force and grounds for wrongful death. Her attorney, Sue McGraugh, argued he had come without a gun and with his hands up in the air. He was going to surrender, she said.

But crime scene photos showed the AK-47-style rifle next to Hammett’s body, and multiple officers testified that he had come around the corner with it pointed, ready to fire.

Jurors took about four hours to deliver a verdict.

Outside the courthouse, Torres was surrounded by loved ones as she spoke about her grief. She said she was hoping for justice, but instead, she was left in pain.

“I was hoping they’d see the truth,� she said.