Ex-Austin Officer Pleads Not Guilty in Killing

An attorney says a national uproar over grand jury decisions on police killings in Missouri and New York could influence the prosecution of an ex-Austin detective charged with fatally shooting an unarmed man during a bank robbery investigation.

Charles Kleinert on Friday pleaded not guilty to a manslaughter count in the July 2013 death of Larry Jackson Jr.

In recent weeks, grand juries have declined to indict white officers who killed unarmed, black residents of Ferguson and New York, sparking protests nationwide.

Kleinert, who resigned after Jackson's killing, is white. Jackson was black.

The Austin American-Statesman reports attorney Jason Nassour believes prosecutors won't be inclined to offer Kleinert a plea deal because of the recent unrest.

Nassour isn't involved in Kleinert's defense. Kleinert's attorney declined comment to the newspaper.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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