The seventh day of the trial of the ex-policeman who shot a motorist in Bonnevoie in April 2018 was devoted to the hearing of the accused's former colleagues on Thursday.
On Thursday, the ex-colleagues of the police officer accused of shooting a driver in Bonnevoie in April 2018 were heard. They described him as a diligent and well-behaved colleague who worked hard and enjoyed his work.
The deputy of the Bonnevoie police station in 2018 stated that in his eyes the defendant was an exemplary officer. He was zealous, "sometimes overzealous," which is, however, "not uncommon for an officer."
However, one police officer was disturbed by the way he acted, as he allegedly did not discuss everything with her in the field. Another officer realised "after the fact" that the accused was "too obsessed with his gun."
On the other hand, the colleague with whom the then 22-year-old officer patrolled most of the time confided that she felt "safe" with him, noting that the accused "always tried to help people." She was 26 years old at the time and, like the accused, had only been on duty for seven months. She did acknowledge that there was a general sense of insecurity at the time, which stemmed from the fact there were no veteran police officers around who could have trained them.
The court also heard testimony about an incident in which the accused reportedly pointed his firearm at someone who was being interrogated while they were not looking. This alleged event occurred just a few days before the tragic shooting in Bonnevoie. An officer who was informed of the occurrence by another colleague wanted to report it but was unable to do so since the supervisor was on leave at the time.
The former colleagues of the accused also remembered that the latter made inappropriate comments at the police station. For instance, he allegedly referred to the act of shooting as bläien (Bläi -> "lead"). Some of his former colleagues confronted him about his problematic behaviour, and as a result, he stopped making the comments. Others simply shook their heads to express their disapproval.
Previous articles:
- Fatal police shooting: Sixth day of trial focused on proportionality of officer's reaction
- Fatal police shooting in 2018: Was the accused in danger when shots were fired?
- Police Dysfunction: “He thought he was in Law & Order”
- Day 1 of trial: Police officer claims self-defense in Bonnevoie shooting trial
- 2018 shooting in Bonnevoie: Police officer to face homicide charges in trial on Tuesday
