Prosecutors in the murder trial of former Columbus vice squad officer Andrew Mitchell rested their case Friday morning.
The defense then called a pair of witnesses to bolster their contention that Mitchell was following his training when he used lethal force.
Mitchell is accused of shooting and killing 23-year-old Donna Castleberry, whom he had picked up as part of an undercover prostitution sting in 2018. He fired the fatal shots after a struggle in which Castleberry cut his hand with a knife.
Attorneys for the defense called on John Gagnon, who was a Columbus police firearms instructor at the time, and Sgt. Michael Evans, who served with the vice unit when the shooting took place.
Defense attorney Mark Collins asked Sgt. Evans about firearms training and how they are taught to respond to targets they perceive as threats.
"So if you believe it's still a threat, you're supposed to fire until the threat is stopped?," Collins asked.
"Yes," responded Evans.
The defense reportedly intends to call a "use of force" expert when the trial resumes on Monday.
