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October 30, 2015

Texas: White Police Officer Immune from State Charges After Killing Black Man 
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Meanwhile, in Texas, a white police officer who is accused of fatally
shooting an unarmed African-American man has persuaded a judge to throw
out the case after arguing he is immune from state charges because he
was working for a federal task force at the time of the shooting.
Officer Charles Kleinert was employed as an Austin police officer in
2013 when he says he accidentally shot and killed Larry Jackson Jr. The
officer began chasing Jackson after the man allegedly attempted to enter
a locked bank and then fled. When Officer Kleinert caught up with
Jackson, he says he meant to hit the man in the neck with his pistol.
Instead, the officer fired his gun, killing Jackson. On Thursday, a
Texas judge ruled the state court has no jurisdiction over Officer
Kleinert in this case, because he had been investigating an unrelated
bank robbery for his federal task force when he began the chase.

 

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