PHOENIX - The jury in the Phillip Brailsford murder trial will not see an obscene inscription made on the gun he used to allegedly kill Daniel Shaver.
Brailsford, a former Mesa police officer, is accused of shooting Shaver multiple times at a Mesa hotel in 2016. Mesa police officers had responded to reports of a man with a rifle in a hotel room window.
Shaver did have a rifle, but it turned out to be a BB gun. Shaver was shot will on the ground, crying, crawling toward officers. Brailsford maintains Shaver was acting as if he was reaching for a weapon, but an internal investigation found Shaver was more likely trying to pull up his pants.
Brailsford had the words "You're F*****" engraved on the dust cover of his AR-15. The dust cover protects the part of the rifle where spent shells are ejected. When it's flipped down, the engraving is not visible.
Brailsford's attorneys argued photos of the engraving were unduly prejudicial and would taint the jury's perception of Brailsford regardless of any other evidence.
Shaver's family has long argued the engraving showed Brailsford as a trigger-happy cop.
However, the judge in the case ruled from the bench Friday that the photos would be prejudicial and will not be shown to the jury.
Brailsford's trial is scheduled to begin October 23rd.