PHOENIX - A former Mesa police officer on trial for murder took the stand again Thursday. This time, he was peppered with questions by the prosecution during cross-examination.
Philip Brailsford is charged with second-degree murder for killing an unarmed Daniel Shaver at a Mesa hotel last year.
"Why did you say you perceived Mr. Shaver was armed?" asked prosecutor Susie Charbel.
"That's how I'm trained, ma'am," responded Brailsford.
The prosecutor questioned whether Brailsford followed his police training.
"He [Shaver] was ordered by Sgt. Langley and warned what would happen if he did reach behind his back," Brailsford testified.
Brailsford claims he saw Shaver reach for his waist, a motion similar to that of reaching for a gun. That's when Brailsford decided to pull the trigger.
"So at that moment, you did want to shoot him, correct?" Charbel asked.
"No ma'am," Brailsford said.
"Alright, so you were just being reckless when you shot him?" Charbel responded.
"No, certainly not," said Brailsford.
The prosecution referenced the body camera footage recorded by Brailsford. In it, Shaver is heard crying saying not to shoot him.
"At the moment I didn't really pay attention to that. I was more focused on his hands," Brailsford said.
Despite the intense line of questioning, Brailsford remained confident in his lethal use of force.
"If this situation happened exactly as it did at that time, I would make the same exact decision," Brailsford testified.
The defense rested its case. Closing arguments are expected to begin Tuesday.