Boston officer Nicholas O'Malley pleads not guilty to manslaughter in Roxbury shooting

Boston Police Officer Nicholas O'Malley entered a not guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Stephenson King during a carjacking response in Roxbury.

Boston officer arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court over fatal Roxbury shooting

Boston Police Officer Nicholas O'Malley, 33, pleaded not guilty Thursday to voluntary manslaughter in Suffolk Superior Court, cbsnews.com reports, following a grand jury indictment stemming from the fatal shooting of Stephenson King last spring.

King, 39, of Dorchester, was shot dead on Wednesday, 11 March, after officers approached him in a stolen car on Tremont Street in Roxbury. King had been identified as a suspect in a carjacking that took place on that street the same night.

According to Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden, O'Malley fired three shots through the driver's side window after King, seated in the front seat, failed to comply with commands and began driving the vehicle towards the two officers. O'Malley stated he believed his fellow officer was at risk of being struck by the car. Police later determined that belief was not reasonable, based on body camera footage and witness statements.

O'Malley was arrested eight days after the shooting. He entered an initial not guilty plea on 19 March at Boston Municipal Court in Roxbury. A Suffolk County Grand Jury subsequently indicted him on 20 May on the voluntary manslaughter charge, transferring the case to Suffolk Superior Court, where Thursday's arraignment took place.

"We vehemently feel this is not an appropriate charge and we look forward to our day in court," O'Malley's attorney David Yannetti told the judge. Yannetti previously represented Karen Read at her two trials in the death of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe.

O'Malley was released on a personal recognisance and ordered to appear for a pre-trial conference on 23 July. The court also directed him to have no contact with witnesses in the case.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)