Nebraska Bar Owner Who Was Charged in Killing of Black Man Dies by Suicide

A white bar owner charged in the fatal shooting of a Black man during a protest in Nebraska in May — less than a week after the killing of George Floyd — has died by suicide, the man’s lawyer said on Sunday.

The bar owner, Jacob Gardner, was indicted by a grand jury on Sept. 15 in connection with the deadly confrontation with James Scurlock on May 30 in Omaha, one that initially appeared would not lead to criminal charges.

The case touched off large protests and prompted the appointment of a special prosecutor, who gathered additional evidence and presented it to a grand jury.

Mr. Gardner, 38, who was in Oregon when he took his own life, had been expected to fly home to turn himself in to the authorities on Sunday in Nebraska, his lawyer, Stuart J. Dornan, said at a news conference.