COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) – The manslaughter trial of a former Mississippi police officer will move ahead.
Lowndes County Circuit Judge Lee Coleman on Thursday rejected an effort by ex-officer Canyon Boykin’s lawyer to throw out the charge. WCBI-TV reports Coleman ruled that there’s enough evidence to support the charges.
Boykin, who is white, is indicted in the October 2015 shooting death of a black man in Columbus.
Boykin says he shot Ricky Ball after the 26-year-old appeared to point a gun at Boykin during a foot chase.
Boykin settled a wrongful termination suit against Columbus in early September. The city recently settled a wrongful death lawsuit by Ball’s heirs.
Coleman has ordered the trial moved to south Mississippi’s Tylertown, citing pretrial publicity in Columbus.
Judge keeps alive manslaughter charge against ex-officer
