Deputy shot multiple times helped others even in death

Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday morning in the trial of Christopher Keith Calmer, the man charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Monroe County deputy in 2014.

Calmer’s lawyers are expected to begin presenting the defense case Thursday morning.

Calmer, 49, faces a string of charges stemming from the Sept. 13, 2014, shooting at his parents’ home near Interstate 75 and Pate Road in Monroe County.

Monroe County sheriff’s deputy Michael Norris was fatally shot while he and deputy Jeff Wilson were at the Haley Lane home. Calmer’s uncle had called 911, reporting that Calmer was suicidal and asking for help.

Wilson was shot multiple times and returned fire, hitting Calmer in the leg.

If convicted, Calmer could face the death penalty.

Dr. Christopher Gulledge, a former GBI medical examiner who now is Cobb County’s chief medical examiner, testified about Norris’ injuries Wednesday.

The 24-year-old deputy was shot in the head, legs and buttocks. It’s possible a single bullet injured both legs, he said.

Norris was declared dead on the day after the shooting after he was kept on life support for about 24 hours. Many of his organs were donated to others, Gulledge said.

A GBI toxicology expert testified Wednesday that a test of Calmer’s urine after the shooting detected a barbiturate and painkillers in his body. A GBI firearms expert also testified.

Cameras in the courtroom

Before testimony began, a juror addressed the judge and said her husband had viewed media coverage of the case online and noticed that jurors had been videoed.

Judge Tommy Wilson had instructed reporters and photographers Monday — in front of jurors — not to take pictures or video of the jury.

Gabrielle Pittman, one of Calmer’s lawyers, then asked that cameras be banned from the courtroom, citing potential jury concerns.

Wilson questioned reporters present in the courtroom individually, asking if they’d recorded the footage. Meanwhile, a courthouse staffer found a video that included images of the jury on wmaz.com and notified Wilson. A few jurors were visible briefly in video of testimony from Tuesday.

A WMAZ representative was not present when reporters were questioned.

The judge, noting that he didn’t think the footage was recorded intentionally, issued a warning to reporters present in the courtroom that future photos or recordings of jurors could result in his barring individual reporters from bringing cameras into the courtroom.

The trial, which began Monday, is expected to last about two weeks.

This story was originally published June 7, 2017 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Deputy shot multiple times helped others even in death."