NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Louisiana prosecutor says he won't request the death penalty for a man accused of fatally shooting a New Orleans police officer during a struggle last year.

Darren Bridges is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Officer Marcus McNeil. Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said Wednesday that McNeil's family agrees because death penalty cases involve years of delay for a final ruling. Defense attorney Kerry Cuccia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cannizzaro's decision and whether it means Bridges will need a new attorney.

Cuccia directs a nonprofit created to represent indigent defendants facing the death penalty. A description on the Louisiana Public Defenders Board's website says the Capital Defense Project of Southeast Louisiana keeps a standing caseload of 25 defendants.