HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Jurors in the trial of a police officer charged with murder watched video of the officer shooting a man who was holding a gun to his own head as another officer tried to talk him out of suicide.
Prosecutors finished their case against Officer William Darby following the video and testimony from two other officers who were on the scene when he shot Jeffrey Parker on April 3, 2018. The defense will begin presenting its case on Wednesday, the judge said.
Police went to the home of Parker, 43, after he called 911 saying he intended to kill himself. Before Darby arrived, Genisha Pegues, who recently resigned as an officer, and Officer Justin Beckles talked with Parker, who was holding a gun to his head.
Pegues wasn’t pointing her weapon at Parker and told jurors she didn’t feel threatened, news outlets reported.
“My goal was to see where he was as far as his mental state,” Pegues testified. “My goal was to keep him talking, talk about other solutions than taking his life.”