Jury decides former Fresno County Sheriff's Deputy "not guilty" in accidental shooting of supervisor

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The jury has decided that former Fresno County Sheriff's Deputy is "not guilty" in the accidental shooting death of his supervisor.

Closing arguments were made Thursday in the case against Jared Mullis.

He's accused of negligence after it was his gun that killed Rod Lucas more than three years ago.

Jared Mullis is facing up to four years in prison if convicted.

Just one day after he testified in his defense, the former Sheriff's Deputy could only listen as prosecutor Amy Freeman focused on the trial's key events during Thursday's closing arguments.

"Its the defendant's DNA that was found and not Sergeant Lucas's on both the gun and the holster," said prosecutor Amy Freeman.

Mullis is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the October 2016 shooting and death of Sergeant Rod Lucas.

The prosecution maintains that Mullis was negligent when he passed his gun and holster to Lucas when the weapon accidentally fired

"I'm asking you to hold him responsible for the consequences of this act. An act that could've been avoided," said Freeman.

However, the defense's argument has remained the same, Mullis only demonstrated the gun and he never pulled the trigger.

While defense attorney Roger Wilson tried poking holes in witness testimony that Mullis handed the weapon off with the barrel facing Lucas.

"The way he's holding it. The bullet shell should've just flown out the top. There's a distinctive smell with a bullet is fired but he didn't describe that," said Wilson.