Jury finds ex-Leavenworth cop not guilty of involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting
A former Leavenworth police officer was found not guilty Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 47-year-old Antonio Garcia, Jr. in 2017.
Matthew Harrington was indicted in August 2018 for shooting and killing Garcia on July 11, 2017 during an investigation of a domestic dispute involving a stolen vehicle. Harrington, who was fired from the police department after the shooting, was acquitted of the criminal charge by a jury in Leavenworth County District Court.
The decision came after a mistrial was declared in April when another jury panel was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
District Attorney Todd Thompson said Wednesday that prosecutors presented what they believed was a solid case against Harrington. But he added that the outcome reflects the design of the criminal justice system where the jury is tasked with determining guilt.
“All we can do is put the best case forward and let the jury decide,” Thompson said, adding: “We had a grand jury indict with these facts. We had a jury … get split down the middle on whether he’s guilty or not. So we felt like there was a case to be presented, and we gave another jury that opportunity.”
Mike Nichols, an attorney for Harrington, said the jury made the right decision during the second trial.
“We’re obviously very pleased with the verdict,” Nichols said in a text message. “It was the right decision but there’s no question that everyone involved wishes that day had turned out differently.”
After the mistrial, Leavenworth police said they would release the body camera footage from the fatal encounter.
In the video, Harrington is seen walking up to Garcia as he sits in his parked SUV in the driveway. Harrington had been called to Garcia’s home to investigate a domestic dispute involving a stolen vehicle.
Prosecutors said Garcia had a knife in his lap, but did not threaten Harrington. In the audio, Harrington was heard saying “Put that knife away” as Harrington tried to open the car door while Garcia pulled it shut.
Harrington fired several times into the SUV as he backed away from the car, killing Garcia.
Harrington was fired from the Leavenworth Police Department in January 2018.
In 2019, Garcia’s family filed a wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit against the city of Leavenworth. The family settled for $1 million.
