A man accused of killing an Edmond police officer during a multi-vehicle crash made his first court appearance Friday. A judge agreed to waive the preliminary hearing for Jay Fite, something his attorney said was good news for their team. They are in the process of downgrading his initial charge. | MORE | Hundreds gather to remember Edmond officer"Last night, the state of Oklahoma amended the charge and amended it to dismiss the count of murder in the second degree," said Fite's attorney Billy Coyle. Fite still faces a count of manslaughter in the first degree by the use of drugs. They also added an alternative count of manslaughter in the first degree by speeding. In July of 2022, Sgt. CJ Nelson with the Edmond Police Department was killed on duty after Fite allegedly crashed into Nelson's motorcycle while driving a utility truck. "We feel it's very important and decided to waive preliminary meeting by getting rid of the murder charge," said Coyle. "We're going to continue to fight for Jay Fite and enter a plea of not guilty. We believe this was an accident at the end of the day." Fite's bond has been set for $750,000. His preliminary hearing was moved to April 12 at 9 a.m.Community to honor fallen Oklahoma County Deputy Jeremy McCain during funeralGrand jury releases investigative report into Oklahoma County Detention Center, jail trustFormer McLoud teacher faces felonies for grooming, stalking at least 10 studentsCleveland County Sheriff's Office busts businesses for serving alcohol to minorsDog shot by officer after attacking people outside Oklahoma City store, police sayOne of nation’s largest food distributors shuts down system, impacting Oklahoma restaurantsNew details released about mysterious human remains found in Pottawatomie County