Personally, I feel for the Defendent, based on..
...
Well, I'm no cop-basher, far from it, but based on, what I sense, a fair article bearing statements (facts, whose side, is the question) that support the innocent, until proven, guilty, defendant.
What strikes me are some key statements: (from both sides)
Defendant's house was broken into 3 days prior, nothing stolen, and statements by prosecution support defendant's claim that intruder was PD's sent in man, who broke a law of unlawful entry and property damage.
Defendant was a avid gardener, with items, as described, by informant, for such purposes, but NO pot growing found.. just a Japanese plant/s that have similar leaves to Pot plants, that would support illegal intruder, PD's informant, to assume it was Pot, let alone, take a small leaf, to verify IF it was, in fact, a pot plant.
Defendant's Dogs started barking at loud sound (loud door knock?) or basing in of door? No matter..
Defendant says he was "startled" (sounds right to me, considering his house was raided just 3 days prior.. And grabbed his SD/HD pistol and saw intruder coming in thru bottom of door and took the shot..
Prosecution says detective shot in front yard but, is it not a strong possibility, considering all reported statements from both sides, that the detective was either pulled back by fellow officers into the yard, or he, himself, crawled back out of the door, into the yard?
The truth is, more times than I care to think about, where PD's and their DA's twist "the facts" (or hide the facts from Defendant's Council) in order to get a conviction, no matter, to avoid the spotlight of a wrong or possible lawsuits that they know, if found out, they would lose in a Court of Law..
I'll leave it at that, and hope that "the truth" and "the facts" will bring about a "just decision" for this matter.
Ls