2nd Circuit rejects appeal of acquitted Conn. cop

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A federal appeals court has dismissed the case of a now-retired Hartford police officer who sued a state prosecutor after being acquitted of manslaughter in an on-duty fatal shooting of an unarmed teenager.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a lower court's ruling that former Waterbury State's Attorney John Connelly is entitled to "absolute immunity" from lawsuits over his conduct before a grand jury. The ruling was released Monday.

Former Officer Robert Lawlor sued Connelly for alleged malicious prosecution and withholding evidence from a one-judge grand jury that found probable cause to arrest Lawlor in the 2005 shooting death of 18-year-old Jashon Bryant and wounding of 21-year old Brandon Henry. A jury acquitted Lawlor of manslaughter and assault charges in December 2009.

The case sparked outrage among blacks in Hartford. Lawlor and all the jurors were white, while Bryant and Henry were black. Some critics of the verdict are now calling Bryant "Hartford's Trayvon Martin" in online postings, referring to the unarmed Florida teen shot to death by a neighborhood watch volunteer.

The 2nd Circuit Court noted that it previously has upheld the absolute immunity rights of prosecutors.

"Lawlor's main claim is that Connelly withheld exculpatory evidence from the investigatory grand jury," the ruling said. "This court has repeatedly held, however, that a prosecutor is absolutely immune from liability ... for his conduct before a grand jury."

Lawlor's lawyer, Norman Pattis, didn't immediately return a message Friday. He had claimed that Connelly lost his immunity when he misled the grand jury. It's not clear if Lawlor will appeal Monday's decision.

Lawlor retired from the force before his trial. Connelly retired last year.

Copyright Associated Press, Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.