Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

The State's case against Wafer proceeded through several more witnesses today, including additional officers on scene as well as dash-cam video from a "Scout" patrol car, witnesses to McBride's single-vehicle car crash some hours before the shooting, and the 911 dispatcher who took Wafer's call. To me the most relevant bits of testimony came at the start and end of the morning, both having to do with the notion that Wafer's firing of the shotgun was unintentional. When Dearborn Heights police officer Rory McManmon was testifying with respect to the dash-cam recording, it was revealed that Wafer indicated he didn't know that there was a round in the shotgun's chamber. Similarly, just before the lunch break 911 dispatcher Valentine Pepper testified that Wafer told him over the phone that he fired the shotgun by accident. (This part of the 911 call was not recorded, however, because it occurred when 911 called back Wafer.)

This afternoon I was helpfully directed to a live video stream of the Wafer trial, suggesting the streaming of the trial is not explicitly prohibited, as I had been led to believe Unfortunately the feed was of such low quality it was effectively useless. It seems even the provider recognized this, because after about an hour in the afternoon they cut off the feed entirely. We'll see what happens tomorrow, I guess. In summary of the afternoon, the state brought two witnesses:  Carmen Beasley, the woman whose husband's parked car was struck by Renisha McBride in front of Beasley's home several hours before McBride was shot by Wafer.  It was Beasley who first called 911, and who first communicated with the dazed and injured McBride.  This accident took place about a mile from Wafer's home, the site of the shooting. Also appearing was Dearborn police officer Ruben Gonzalez, who was among the first responders on the scene. Gonzalez interacted directly with Wafer, and helped to secure the crime scene. The defense claims that Wafer reasonably used deadly force in the belief that someone was attempting to violently enter his home. The state argues that Wafer unreasonably created the circumstances in which an innocent person was killed.