Former Officer To Be Tried Again

A former Kansas police officer accused of shooting a man to death five years ago while on duty will face a new trial next month after his first trial ended in mistrial.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson says that Matthew Harrington’s new trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge will begin June 6th, the Kansas City Star reported.

Harrington’s first trial ended when a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Harrington is charged in the July 2017 shooting of 47-year-old Antonio Garcia Junior, as Garcia sat inside a vehicle.

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

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