Mistrial in ex-Kansas officer’s trial for fatal shooting

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The trial of a former Leavenworth police officer charged in a fatal shooting in 2017 ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Matthew Harrington was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of 47-year-old Antonio Garcia Jr., who was shot by Harrington as he sat in his vehicle in Leavenworth.

The mistrial was declared on Wednesday. A court hearing was scheduled for May 7 to determine if Harrington will face a second trial, KSHB-TV reported.

The shooting occurred when Harrington responded to a domestic dispute at a Leavenworth home on July 11, 2017. Garcia left but later returned and was sitting in his vehicle when Harrington approached.

Prosecutors said Garcia had a knife but didn’t threaten Harrington, who fired several times into the vehicle after the two men struggled, according to video from Harrington’s body camera.

Harrington was fired in 2018 after a police department investigation found he violated policies on use of deadly force.

He was indicted after a grand jury investigation in 2018.

A Leavenworth County judge ruled in June 2020 that Harrington could not claim legal immunity in the shooting, sending the case to trial.

In 2019, the city of Leavenworth reached a $1 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Garcia’s family.