Trial
for ex-Phoenix officer charged with murder, animal cruelty set to begin
PHOENIX
— Jury selection is set to begin Monday for a former Phoenix police officer Richard
Chrisman who is charged with murder and
animal cruelty in the fatal shootings of an unarmed man and his dog during a
domestic dispute call.
Authorities
say Chrisman broke the law in his
response to the 2010 call that ended with the death of 29-year-old Daniel
Rodriguez at the south Phoenix trailer that Rodriguez shared with his mother.
Rodriguez's
mother had called police from a neighbor's trailer because she said her son had
damaged property inside their trailer after the two had gotten into an argument
on Oct. 5, 2010.
Investigators
say that when Rodriguez questioned the officers' right to be inside the
trailer, Chrisman drew his pistol, put its muzzle on Rodriguez's temple and
said he didn't need a warrant to be there. Chrisman's partner told
investigators that there was no threat being made against either officer.