Graphic: FBI agent found not guilty in 2020 shooting aboard Metro train

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WJLA) - An FBI agent has been acquitted of attempted second-degree murder in a 2020 non-fatal shooting on board a Metro train in Maryland.

“We were doing some, some tearing up as well because this was a very special client who never, ever, ever should have been put in this position,” attorney Robert Bonsib said.

A Maryland jury found Bonsib’s client, FBI agent Eduardo Valdivia, not guilty in the shooting of a man aboard a Metro train.

The confrontation was caught on camera,

“It was 100% self-defense. He was trying to save his life,” Bonsib said.

According to authorities, Valdivia was heading to work aboard a Metro Red Line train in December 2020 when a panhandler, identified as Steven Slaughter, confronted him and threatened to hurt him if he did not hand over money.

While there’s no audio on the surveillance footage, authorities said the two exchanged words.

Authorities said Valdivia then shot Slaughter twice, who did survive his injuries.

“We are disappointed with the verdict, but we respect the jury verdict in this case,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said.

McCarthy admitted it was a tough case to prosecute, but one he believed in since it was Valdivia who ultimately chose to use extreme force.

“The victim was unarmed. He never touched the defendant, as you can see from the video,” McCarthy said.

Valdivia, who worked in domestic terrorism for the federal government, has spent the last couple of years in limbo.

“It’s two years of a life that he can’t get back,” Bonsib said.

Bonsib stressed that public service continues to be a core part of his client’s life.

“He’s still an agent. He’s going to go back and do what he’s always done,” he said.

The man Valdivia shot is currently incarcerated.

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