Cincinnati Officer Pleads Not Guilty in Shooting

A white Cincinnati police officer pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man that prompted three nights of riots in April.

Merlyn Shiverdecker, Officer Stephen Roach’s lawyer, filed written pleas to the charges of negligent homicide and obstructing official business. Roach, 27, was not required to appear.

Timothy Thomas, 19, was killed April 7 as he fled from police who were trying to arrest him on misdemeanor warrants, mostly for traffic offenses. The incident sparked violence in which dozens of people were injured and more than 800 were arrested.