MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A lawyer for a white Alabama police officer charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a black man has asked a judge to move the officer's upcoming trial.
Aaron Smith's lawyer filed a motion Friday seeking a new venue, saying publicity and protests over the February shooting death of 58-year-old Greg Gunn in Montgomery would make a fair trial difficult to obtain there.
Lawyer Mickey McDermott said the "racial prejudice and hatred" toward the officer warranted a venue change.
The judge didn't immediately respond.
A grand jury last month indicted Smith on a murder charge.
Authorities say the officer stopped Gunn as Gunn was walking home through his neighborhood late at night. Smith told investigators Gunn disobeyed instructions and fought with him.
No trial date has been set.
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