Jurors See Squad Car Footage Of Officer Patrick's Death
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- After a two-day delay, opening statements were made Thursday in the trial of a man accused of killing a Mendota Heights police officer.
Brian Fitch Sr. is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Officer Scott Patrick.
The first day of testimony in the trial of the man accused of killing Patrick started with graphic video of the incident. We are not showing the shooting, but the video and sound are disturbing. You may not want to watch the video with young family members. Jurors first saw video of Patrick inside his squad as he pulls over a car on July 30, 2014.
Everything about the video seems very routine. He's not in a hurry and does not seem worried about the stop. Just 11 seconds after he starts opening his door to approach the car, he's shot and killed.
Immediately after the shots--which police say were fired by Brian Fitch Sr.--the car speeds away.
The prosecution wasted no time showing jurors the most powerful and moving evidence in the case. Two cameras mounted in Patrick's squad car captured this horrifying crime.
In the first 40 minutes Thursday in Stearns County Court, jurors heard a glimpse of the evidence coming over the next two weeks. Prosecutors told them Patrick was hit three times by a 9mm pistol, fired by Fitch Sr. from the front seat of his green Pontiac.
After a lunch break, prosecutors played the two videotapes. The first is pointing backwards, showing Patrick unbuckle his seat belt as he gets out to talk to Fitch.
Seconds later, three quick gunshots. The other camera shows Patrick immediately fall to the pavement and Fitch speed off.
One woman can be heard screaming, "Oh My God!"
Two women in nurses scrubs can be seen attempting CPR.
Officers and paramedics then take over when they arrive.
Eyewitnesses who testified Thursday said they saw a white male speeding away from the scene in the Grand Am. One said the driver ran a stop sign and was traveling at more than 60 miles an hour.
About a dozen members of Scott Patrick's family were in the courtroom, including his four brothers, his wife, Michele, and a daughter. They were quiet while the dash cam video played. They left Thursday not wishing to speak after what was obviously a very emotional day for them.
Fitch Sr. watched the video, staring straight ahead while it played. At times he rocked back and forth in his chair, but remained expressionless.
We also learned where exactly Patrick was shot from the testimony of Dr. Victor Froloff, the assistant medical examiner who conducted the autopsy. Patrick was struck three times -- in the thigh, abdomen and head. The last two shots were the mortal wounds.
The defense countered, saying the state's timeline doesn't fit and further added that they will cast doubt on the validity of the ballistics testing, which will be used to match shell casings of the murder weapon to those found in Fitch's vehicle after he was arrested.
Opening statements were supposed to begin Tuesday. But one juror had to be dismissed and new evidence was brought into play, delaying the case.
The trial is expected to last as long as two weeks. If convicted, Fitch faces a mandatory life sentence.
Stay tuned to WCCO-TV and WCCO.COM for the latest in the trial.
