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.