Oklahoma officer ruled justified in fatal shooting of man

KIOWA, Okla. (AP) - An Oklahoma police officer has been cleared in the fatal shooting of a man as the two fought following a traffic stop.

The McAlester News-Capital reports (https://bit.ly/2orGL2p ) that Kiowa officer Fred Hart was found to be justified in shooting 50-year-old Marvin Washington of Coweta.

Pittsburg County District Attorney Chuck Sullivan said Hart shot Washington on Jan. 30 outside a convenience store in Kiowa after stopping him for speeding.

Investigators have said Hart was frisking Washington when he felt a gun in his coat pocket and Washington began to fight with him and tried to pull the weapon from his pocket when Hart opened fire, striking Washington twice.

Sullivan said a loaded pistol was recovered from Washington’s coat pocket.

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Information from: McAlester News-Capital, https://www.mcalesternews.com