Salesman said he felt threatened, and in a "gut reaction" pulled his gun from his waistband.

The reason for the mistrial in the four-day trial was simple. Before reaching a verdict, jurors are repeatedly told to rely solely upon evidence presented in court and the judge's instructions to them, and not to conduct research of their own.

After about an hour of deliberations Monday evening, jurors asked to review Winn-Dixie's surveillance footage of the confrontation, and for a legal definition of the word "imminent."

Destry declined to define the word, instead telling jurors to rely on his previous instructions. He then dismissed the panel for the night.

On Tuesday morning, Destry learned that one juror, John W. Fanning, had brought his dictionary to the jury room, and that all but one member of the six jurors had looked at the meaning of the word.

"Imminent," the dictionary said, means "about to occur; impending."

Destry, the prosecution and the defense agreed that was a pretty good definition. But the judge said he had no option but to declare the trial was at an end, and to send the jury home without a verdict.