AUBURN – Testimony is expected to begin today in the manslaughter trial of Brandon Knight.
Knight, 20, was holding a 9-mm pistol when it discharged and fired a bullet into the head of 24-year-old Shawn Fitzsimmons in September 2004. Fitzsimmons died shortly after arriving at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.
Both men lived in Lewiston at the time. The shooting happened at a second-floor apartment at 17 Horton St. in Lewiston that was being rented by Aryne Brown, 22.
Police said the 9-mm Llama semi-automatic was owned by Brown. Knight and others visiting at the apartment had passed the gun around. It was in Knight’s hands when he allegedly pulled the trigger, firing the round at Fitzsimmons, police said.
Knight’s lawyer, Justin Leary, called the shooting “a tragic mistake.”
He said Knight will take the witness stand in his own defense as the case gets under way in Androscoggin County Superior Court. Justice Ellen Gorman will preside.
Leary said his defense of Knight will focus on the accidental nature of the shooting. “It doesn’t meet the standards” of criminal negligence required for a manslaughter conviction, Leary said.
He said he also expects to call a couple of Lewiston police officers who responded to the shooting as witnesses in Knight’s behalf.
The state also is expected to call police officers and forensic expects as it builds its case.
Assistant Attorney General Fernand LaRochelle will prosecute.
A jury was selected to hear the case earlier this month.
If he’s convicted, Knight could face a sentence of up to 30 years in jail on the manslaughter charge.
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