Austin PD Officer Fired

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ An Austin police officer who fatally shot a man in 2009 has been fired after being arrested in January for alleged drunken driving.

Senior Officer Leonardo Quintana has 10 days to appeal. Quintana attorney Tom Stribling says the officer will appeal Thursday’s termination by Police Chief Art Acevedo.

In May 2009 Quintana fatally shot Nathaniel Sanders II. A grand jury declined to indict Quintana. Sanders had been sleeping in a car that police were investigating as possibly being used in crimes.

A disciplinary memo says Quintana went out Jan. 11 and drank alcohol, then drove to Leander. A 911 call about a traffic accident led to his arrest.

Quintana’s arrest came hours after he was questioned as part of a federal civil rights lawsuit into the fatal shooting.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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