Testimony continues in deputy killing trial

Testimony continued Monday in the more than week-long trial for Christopher Calmer, the man charged with murder in the 2014 fatal shooting of a Monroe County deputy.

Calmer, 49, could face the death penalty if he is convicted.

He is accused of shoot deputies Michael Norris and Jeff Wilson Sept. 13, 2014, after the deputies had been dispatched to a report of a suicidal person at Calmer’s parent’s home near Pate Road and Interstate 75. The deputies had gone to Calmer’s parents’ home after Calmer’s uncle called 911 seeking help because Calmer was suicidal.

Seth Stoughton, an expert in police tactics and procedure, was called to testify Monday morning by Calmer’s attorneys.

Stoughton, a former Florida police officer who now works as a legal scholar, said although the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s policies for encountering the mentally ill are consistent with best practices and policies, Norris and Wilson’s actions were not.

They needed to take more time to gather information and assess the scene before approaching the front door of the house, he said.

Norris opened the door within a minute of the deputies arriving, Stoughton said.

Stoughton also criticized the amount of information passed to the deputies by dispatchers.

An Ohio psychiatrist also testified about what police officers learn in crisis intervention team training classes, courses that help lawmen best handle cases involving mentally ill people. He also talked about the differences between the brain of a healthy person and a mentally ill person.

This story was originally published June 12, 2017 at 11:29 AM with the headline "Testimony continues in deputy killing trial."