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Published: 15:06 EST, 5 December 2025 | Updated: 15:06 EST, 5 December 2025
A black man was acquitted of stabbing a white man in Oregon after he claimed the attack was self-defense because the victim called him a racial slur.
Gary Edwards, 43, was charged with second-degree assault for stabbing a man in Portland near a light rail stop on July 8, KPTV reported.
However, he was found not guilty of the crime on October 31 after the jury learned the victim was using racial slurs in the aftermath of the altercation.
Edwards, who is homeless and has a previous assault conviction, admitted to knifing the victim, Gregory Howard Jr., but claimed it was in self-defense because the other man called him the n-word, according to Oregon Live.
Security cameras, with no audio, captured Edwards, with a fixed-blade knife in hand, approaching Howard as he sat on a beach.
Howard immediately jumped up and pushed Edwards, then the two scuffled until Edwards stabbed Howard in the shoulder.
Edwards defense attorney Daniel Small reportedly told the jury that his client was approaching Howard to see if he would trade his knife for cigarettes.
'What other than racism could explain why Mr. Howard perceived hatred, animosity and aggression from a complete stranger,' Small said.
Gary Edwards admitted to knifing the victim, but claimed it was in self-defense because the other man called him a racial slur
Moments later, body camera footage from security officers captured Howard shouting a racist slur at Edwards after he had been stabbed.
It is unclear if there is any evidence to suggest that Howard used the slur before he was stabbed.
Prosecutor Katherine Williams told the jury it did not matter what the victim said after he was stabbed.
'The defendant is not scared for his life. He didn't retreat, he sauntered up - and he sauntered away after he stabbed someone. The defendant created the situation,' Williams said.
Despite the prosecutors pleas, the jury found Edwards not guilty.
Edwards lawyer insisted the case never should have gone to trial.
'I laid my cards out on the table and told the state how the trial would go, but it didn't matter,' he told Oregon Live.
Edwards, who is homeless, spent about three months in custody before the trail after prosecutors argued he was a threat to the public due to his lengthy criminal record, according to the outlet
Security cameras, with no audio, captured Edwards, with a fixed-blade knife in hand, approaching Howard as he sat on a beach. It is unclear if Edwards used the racial slur before he was stabbed
He was convicted of attempted second-degree assault in 2021 and was sentenced to three years in prison for another stabbing in 2020, records show.
Edwards was accused of fourth-degree assault for fighting with a shop clerk, but the case was dismissed because he could not secure a public defender.
Daily Mail contacted the prosecutors office, Portland police and Edwards attorney for comment.
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Portland jury clears black man of assault because white man he stabbed had said the n-word
By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTERPublished: 15:06 EST, 5 December 2025 | Updated: 15:06 EST, 5 December 2025
A black man was acquitted of stabbing a white man in Oregon after he claimed the attack was self-defense because the victim called him a racial slur.
Gary Edwards, 43, was charged with second-degree assault for stabbing a man in Portland near a light rail stop on July 8, KPTV reported.
However, he was found not guilty of the crime on October 31 after the jury learned the victim was using racial slurs in the aftermath of the altercation.
Edwards, who is homeless and has a previous assault conviction, admitted to knifing the victim, Gregory Howard Jr., but claimed it was in self-defense because the other man called him the n-word, according to Oregon Live.
Security cameras, with no audio, captured Edwards, with a fixed-blade knife in hand, approaching Howard as he sat on a beach.
Howard immediately jumped up and pushed Edwards, then the two scuffled until Edwards stabbed Howard in the shoulder.
Edwards defense attorney Daniel Small reportedly told the jury that his client was approaching Howard to see if he would trade his knife for cigarettes.
'What other than racism could explain why Mr. Howard perceived hatred, animosity and aggression from a complete stranger,' Small said.
Gary Edwards admitted to knifing the victim, but claimed it was in self-defense because the other man called him a racial slur
Moments later, body camera footage from security officers captured Howard shouting a racist slur at Edwards after he had been stabbed.
It is unclear if there is any evidence to suggest that Howard used the slur before he was stabbed.
Prosecutor Katherine Williams told the jury it did not matter what the victim said after he was stabbed.
'The defendant is not scared for his life. He didn't retreat, he sauntered up - and he sauntered away after he stabbed someone. The defendant created the situation,' Williams said.
Despite the prosecutors pleas, the jury found Edwards not guilty.
Edwards lawyer insisted the case never should have gone to trial.
'I laid my cards out on the table and told the state how the trial would go, but it didn't matter,' he told Oregon Live.
Edwards, who is homeless, spent about three months in custody before the trail after prosecutors argued he was a threat to the public due to his lengthy criminal record, according to the outlet
Security cameras, with no audio, captured Edwards, with a fixed-blade knife in hand, approaching Howard as he sat on a beach. It is unclear if Edwards used the racial slur before he was stabbed
He was convicted of attempted second-degree assault in 2021 and was sentenced to three years in prison for another stabbing in 2020, records show.
Edwards was accused of fourth-degree assault for fighting with a shop clerk, but the case was dismissed because he could not secure a public defender.
Daily Mail contacted the prosecutors office, Portland police and Edwards attorney for comment.
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