A man accused of shooting and killing a Roswell police officer earlier this year pleaded not guilty to murder charges Tuesday.

Edwin Espinoza is charged with murder and aggravated assault against a law enforcement member in the Feb. 7 shooting.

That evening, Officer Jeremy Labonte was investigating a report of a suspicious person in the parking lot near the Ace Pickleball Club on Market Boulevard off Holcomb Bridge Road. Prosecutors said Espinoza walked into the recreational facility and drew a gun, then put it back into his vest, according to an 11Alive video of the March bond hearing.

The officer had approached Espinoza for questioning when the man shot him multiple times, authorities said. Labonte was rushed to a hospital, where he died.

Labonte was the first officer to be killed

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