After nearly eight hours of deliberations, a Douglas County jury on Wednesday was unable to reach a verdict in the case of a man accused of firing gunshots at his Baldwin neighbor’s boyfriend.

The impasse caused District Judge Jack Murphy to declared a mistrial.

Stephen Meeker, 34, who was accused of shooting and wounding his neighbor’s boyfriend after a confrontation the night of Oct. 14, 2001, turned and embraced his wife in the courtroom.

Meeker was charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault and attempted aggravated battery. He has been free on $15,000 bond.

Steven Swafford, the 31-year-old Lawrence man who, according to court testimony, was struck three times with bullets Meeker fired from a 9 mm Ruger pistol, said he was discouraged by the outcome of the trial, which stretched over six days.

“I’m disappointed with the decision,” he said. “But it’s better than a not-guilty verdict. We’ll be seeing them in court again.”

According to court testimony, Swafford’s girlfriend, Kerry Chalmers, was upset about a neighborhood dispute that began with an argument between children and so she confronted her next-door neighbor, Erin Meeker, Stephen Meeker’s wife.

After that confrontation, during which Erin Meeker testified Chalmers barged through her front door and threatened to kill her, Stephen Meeker came to the doorway of their home in the 1200 block of Bison Court. He was naked because he had just gotten out of the shower, his wife testified, and he was carrying a pistol.

During closing arguments earlier Wednesday, Douglas County Assistant Dist. Atty. Dan Dunbar told the eight-man, four-woman jury Meeker overreacted to the confrontation between his wife and Chalmers. He said Meeker could have made other choices.

But Meeker’s attorney, Jim Rumsey, argued that Meeker was only trying to defend himself and his family from “bullies” who had been picking on the family for months.

“Man fires gun to protect family that’s just what this case comes down to,” Rumsey said.

The jury began deliberations at noon and returned with no verdict just before 8 p.m.

Prior to closing arguments, Douglas County Sheriff’s Lt. Ken Massey was recalled to testify about statements he made Tuesday. Massey, under questioning from Dunbar, said he told Rumsey last fall that one of the defense witnesses had told him he did not see anything.

The witness, Steve Hatcher, a neighbor of the Meekers, later gave a statement to a sheriff’s deputy and testified in court this week that he had seen Chalmers in the Meekers’ house and heard her yelling threats at Erin Meeker.

Rumsey, himself, also took the witness stand Wednesday morning.

Under questioning from another attorney, Charles Branson, Rumsey said he had conversations about matters pertaining to the Meeker case with Massey. But Rumsey maintained Massey never told him about Massey’s conversation with Hatcher.

Meeker is set to appear in court again at 1:30 p.m. April 15 to find out whether a second trial will take place.