13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Officers testify in Reese trial

Officers testify in Reese trial

Kevin Rader/Eyewitness News

Porter County - Two Indianapolis Metro Police officers took the stand in the trial of the man accused of shooting one of their fellow officers.

Thursday was a day Detectives Jeff Wood and Steven Scott have been waiting for. Ever since July 10th, 2008, both have anxiously awaited the opportunity to finish the job they started. They were two of the lead officers in the chase of murder suspect Brian Reese. Prosecutors are trying to prove that when Reese fired several shots at Officer Jason Fishburn, he intended to kill him.

Detective Wood relived the chase from that day to the jury.

"I heard gunfire. Rapid succession. One shot on top of another that echoed between the buildings. I thought I heard three shots," he testified.

Wood drew his gun and continued the chase. When he next spotted Reese, "He was carrying a gun in his left hand. Reese and I made eye contact," he said. "The handgun he had in his left hand started to raise up to my torso. I fired my weapon two times."

He added, "It was a very emotional day. Very emotional day. It was hard to go to sleep that night."

A wounded Brian Reese had given up and officers were about to learn that another officer had been shot.

"He went one on one with Jason in an alley and he shot him because he could win that battle right. He couldn't win the other battles," said Carl Brizzi, Marion County prosecutor.

Officer Jerry Piland revealed he couldn't reach his partner on the radio so the officers went looking for Jason Fishburn.

"Jason was just lying there unconscious. Not doing well. You know, barely breathing and we had to take care of him and get him packaged up so we could get him to the hospital so he could have the best chance he could at living," said Piland.

"I've relieved. It's been a long time and hopefully we'll get this over with one way or another," said Wood.

That could mean on appeal.

"We work very closely with all the prosecutors. In this case, I've worked with Prosecutor Brizzi. I just met with him a little while ago," said Greg Zoeller, Indiana attorney general.

Earlier in the day, jurors asked several questions directed at crime lab detectives Thursday, including "Would you consider the area of where the shooting took place of great importance?"

The response: "Yes, it is a very important area but firearm evidence would be more out by the street."

Another juror question: "If it was such an important area, why not use a metal detector?"

The response: "Better to do a physical search."

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