Man pleads not guilty in shooting death of soldier outside Ark. Army recruiting center

Man pleads not guilty in soldier slaying in Ark.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A 23-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he shot and killed a soldier outside an Arkansas Army recruiting center, and prosecutors say they’ll seek the death penalty.

Abdulhakim Muhammad is accused of fatally shooting Pvt. William Andrew Long and wounding another soldier on June 1. A Pulaski County judge set a trial date of Feb. 15 in the case.

Muhammad’s lawyer said Friday his client is in good spirits but wouldn’t say whether Muhammad’s calls to the media claiming responsibility for the death would affect his case.

Muhammad has called The Associated Press twice to discuss the shooting. In those conversations, Muhammad says he didn’t consider the killing a murder because U.S. military action in the Mideast justified it.