Black Man Acquitted of Stabbing White Man

A Portland, Oregon, jury has cleared a black man of assault charges for stabbing a white man — after it was revealed that the victim said the N-word after the attack.

Gary Edwards, 43, was found not guilty of second-degree assault after knifing Gregory Howard Jr., 43, on July 7, KPTV reported.

Edwards admitted to stabbing Howard Jr., but claimed it was in self-defense after the victim had used racial slurs, Oregon Live reported.

Video from transit cameras showed Edwards approach Howard, who was sitting on a bench, from behind with a fixed-blade knife in his hand.

As soon as Howard sees Edwards, he jumps up and starts pushing him, and the pair briefly scuffle against a wall before Edwards suddenly stabs Howard in the shoulder.

There is no audio on the video, but Edwards’ defense attorney, Daniel Small, told the jury his client was approaching Howard to see if he would trade his knife for cigarettes.

Police body camera footage captured Howard calling Edwards the N-word in the aftermath of the attack, after cops rushed over to intervene.

Howard claimed he only used the racial slur after being stabbed, but Edwards testified that the victim called him the word the moment he saw him.