The 'Loud Music' Shooter Is Going to Jail, But Not for First-Degree Murder

The polarizing trial of Michael Dunn came to its polarizing conclusion after the Florida man was found guilty on lesser charges. A mistrial was declared in the "Loud Music" case after the jury remained deadlocked over the first-degree murder charge.

The polarizing trial of Michael Dunn came to its polarizing conclusion after the Florida man was found guilty on lesser charges. A mistrial was declared in the "Loud Music" case after the jury couldn't agree on the first-degree murder charge.

The jury convicted Michael Dunn, 47, of three counts of attempted murder and one count of one count of firing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle, but deadlocked on the first-degree murder charge, prompting the judge in the case to declare a mistrial on that charge.

The death of Jordan Davis, who was killed by Dunn after the two argued about the volume of the music coming from Davis' car, drew countless comparisons to the death of Trayvon Martin. Broadly, both Martin and Davis were 17-year-old black teenagers shot to death by older white men in Florida in 2012. More specifically, both Dunn and Martin's killer, George Zimmerman, invoked Florida's controversial gun and self-defense laws in their trials.

Earlier today, Martin's parents issued a statement of support for Davis' family, saying that Davis' death was "yet another reminder that in Florida, racial profiling and stereotypes" ultimately leads to "the shooting and killing of young teenagers."

Dunn will be sentenced next month and is expected to serve up to 60 years in prison. The jury reached verdicts on the four lesser charges earlier this afternoon, but were instructed to continue deliberations over the first-degree murder charge in the hopes that they might reach a decision. In the end, after four days of debate, the jury deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial.