The semiautomatic pistol Officer Stephen Roach used to kill Timothy Thomas worked properly and would fire only after a finger exerted 8 pounds of pressure on the trigger, a gun expert testified Tuesday.

Officer Stephen Roach and his wife, Erin, during a break Tuesday in the officer's trial on charges of misdemeanor negligent homicide and obstructing official business. (Glenn Hartong photos) | ZOOM |

        William Schrand, senior firearms examiner for the Hamilton County coroner, was the last of six witnesses to testify Tuesday in the Cincinnati officer's trial on misdemeanor charges of negligent homicide and obstructing official business.

        Other officers have testified that Officer Roach said the gun “just went off” when he fired the fatal shot early April 7.

        Mr. Schrand's statements imply that the gun did not accidentally discharge.

        The firearms expert test-fired the 9mm Smith & Wesson to make sure Officer Roach's was the gun fired at Mr. Thomas. His spent cartridges matched the one found in the dark Over-the-Rhine alley where the 19-year-old was killed after fleeing from police early that Saturday morning.

        Mr. Schrand could not say how far Officer Roach was from Mr. Thomas when he fired, only that it had to have been more than three feet. There were not enough lead particles on Mr. Thomas' clothing, he said, to suggest a close-range wound.

        During the bench trial before Hamilton County Municipal Judge Ralph E. “Ted” Winkler, defense attorney Merlyn Shiverdecker continued to elicit testimony about the lack of light in the alley. And that his client was emotionally traumatized by the incident.

William Schrand, senior firearms examiner with the coroner's office, holds the gun that killed Timothy Thomas.

        He repeatedly asked police evidence technician Floyd Lanter why he did not measure how much light existed. Mr. Lanter said the amount of light can be relevant in homicide investigations, but he was not asked to measure it.

        Capt. Paul Humphries, the night chief who was in charge of the scene shortly after the shooting, said he could tell Officer Roach had been emotionally affected by the shooting.

        “He was trying to catch his breath. He seemed very pale and very upset,” the captain said.

        He ordered Sgt. Rudy Gruenke to drive Officer Roach to the homicide unit for questioning by detectives. Sgt. Gruenke testified that Officer Roach appeared visibly shaken during that ride.

        Officer Roach said he felt like he was “going to be sick to his stomach.” Sgt. Gruenke said he offered to get Officer Roach medical attention, but he declined.

        Another officer on the scene, Officer Robert Kidd Jr., said Tuesday that he checked Mr. Thomas for weapons, but found none. He also added that he turned the prone man, whose hands had been handcuffed for officer safety, onto his back so paramedics could provide medical treatment.

        The bullet Officer Roach fired had entered Mr. Thomas' chest at an angle and came out his back, said Dr. Robert Pfalzgraf, chief deputy coroner for the Hamilton County Coroner's office. It passed through a lung and perforated his aorta.

        There was little that could have been done for him medically, Dr. Pfalzgraf added.

        “Even, if this occurred on the front of University Hospital, it'd be very difficult to a save a person's life once the aorta is damaged,” Dr. Pfalzgraf said.

        Courtroom spectators were warned that the pictures Dr. Pfalzgraf referred to during his testimony could be graphic, and allowed anyone to leave before they were shown. No one left.

        Angela Leisure, though, did not see the pictures of her son's body.

        Her attorney, in an interview with Court TV, said she was in Chicago on Tuesday because her brother had suffered a heart attack while watching a broadcast of the trial. He'd become upset after seeing Mrs. Leisure break down in tears, her attorney said, declining additional comment.

       Enquirer reporter Sheila McLaughlin contributed to this report.
       

Testimony today
Thomas' last minutes tracked in testimony
       

Fatal shot not likely accidental
Hijack this: Passengers now ready to do battle
Local crew helped by just listening
Loved ones memorialized
Pilots union urges people to be alert on board
Public donations a concern
50,000 sought for rally
Students worry about draft
The Selective Service System
Council tries to untangle its own Genesis probe
Flag giveaway didn't include trainer's two prized banners
We're no radicals, Sikhs caution
What Sikhs believe
RADEL: Then and now
County targets flood-prone houses in Delhi Township
Health forums planned
213 local students named Merit semifinalists
Tristate A.M. Report
Cell-phone ban for drivers may be on hold
Four killed as cars exceed 100 mph
D.C. reps update Kentuckians
Once-troubled center funded