(AP) -- Following a fatal police shooting that has fueled weeks of protests, Missouri lawmakers could consider legislation that would remove local prosecutors from decisions about whether to charge police involved in deadly shootings.

State Rep. Jay Barnes said he plans to file legislation during 2015 session that would give the state attorney general's office the responsibility for determining whether charges should be filed against law enforcement officers who fatally shoot people.

"There's an inevitable appearance of bias in a case where a prosecutor has to decide whether to take action against an officer who works for an agency that prosecutor works hand-in-hand with every single day," Barnes, a Republican attorney from Jefferson City, said Monday.