Nation IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Ex-Officer Asks New Trial in Black Deaths

Former Miami police officer William Lozano asked an appeals court to overturn his manslaughter convictions in the deaths of two black men, charging that fear of a race riot kept him from getting a fair trial. Lozano fatally shot motorcyclist Clement Lloyd on Jan. 16, 1989, and a passenger on the motorcycle also died. The deaths sparked three days of rioting by Miami blacks. Lozano’s attorney argued that everyone in Miami knew that “a verdict of not guilty would result in . . . violence” and that five of the six jurors admitted that that had influenced their decision. He asked for a new trial.