White officer who broke black suspect's jaw with kick says he was not aiming for man's head

DOVER, Del. – A white police officer who broke a black suspect's jaw with a kick says he was aiming for the man's upper body, not his head.

Dover police officer Thomas Webster IV testified Thursday in his felony assault trial.

Webster testified that Lateef Dickerson was slow to comply with repeated police commands to get on the ground. Webster also said he was scared and feared for his safety and others' safety because officers were told that Dickerson was armed with a gun.

Police dashcam video shows that Dickerson had placed his hands on the ground but was not fully prone on the ground when Webster kicked him in August 2013.

Prosecutors noted that Webster never mentioned in his reports that he did not intend to kick Dickerson in the head.