GRETNA- Attorneys have made their opening statements in the trial of the man who fatally shot former NFL player Joe McKnight.

  

Defense attorneys say 56-year-old Ronald Gasser fired in self-defense when McKnight approached his car after a traffic confrontation in December 2016.

  

Prosecutors say Gasser falsely claimed McKnight tried to lunge into Gasser's car when it was stopped at a traffic light. They say physical evidence indicates he made no such aggressive move.

  

Gasser is charged with second-degree murder.

  

Defense attorney Matthew Goetz claims Gasser was jailed amid political pressure for an arrest of a white man who had shot a popular black athlete. Goetz said the shooting happened in a year of racial unrest in American cities.

  

The trial resumed Friday after two days of weather-related delays.