Photo: CBS 12
An Indian River County jury has found a man not guilty on charges of felony murder in the death of his pregnant girlfriend during a shootout with police.
Prosecutors claimed Andrew Coffee IV used 21-year old Alteria Woods as a human shield as a Sheriff's SWAT team returned fire from Coffee during a drug raid back in March of 2017.
Arrest records indicate deputies identified themselves when approaching the home to serve a warrant in an investigation into the defendant's father, but defense attorneys claim Coffee thought they were intruders.
The jury acquitted coffee on charges connected to the shootout, including attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. But they found him guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He had been convicted in 2013 of battery on a law enforcement officer and evading arrest after fleeing a traffic stop.