Trial Won't Be Moved For Man Charged With Killing Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon

YARMOUTH (CBS/AP) – The trial of Thomas Latanowich, the man charged with killing Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon and shooting his K-9 partner in 2018, will not be moved to a new location.

Latanowich's defense had asked for his trial venue to be moved on the grounds of "extensive and prejudicial pretrial publicity."

Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Michael Trudeau argued against moving the trial to a different jurisdiction, saying media coverage has significantly decreased since the shooting.

Last week, a Barnstable Superior Court judge ruled that "presumptive prejudice has not been shown."

"Although the media coverage has been extensive, it has also been primarily factual. Some of the pieces have certainly been emotional, but they have not been inflammatory or sensational," the judge wrote while denying Latanowich's request.

A judge previously scheduled Latanowich's murder trial for Aug. 2.

He is charged in the April 12, 2018, shooting of Gannon.

The 32-year-old Yarmouth police officer was killed while he and other officers were serving an arrest warrant at a Barnstable home. Gannon's dog Nero was also shot, but survived.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)