State rests against Garland officer on trial for killing unarmed man

The state rested its case against a fired Garland police officer who shot and killed and unarmed man at the end of a chase.

Patrick Tuter fired a total of 41 shots at an unarmed suspect, Michael Allen, in the Mesquite neighborhood where the chase ended in August 2012.

A Mesquite detective who was a crime scene investigator at the time testified meth was found in Allen's vehicle, showing the jury his pipe. He then showed them numerous photos of Allen's bullet-riddled vehicle.

One picture shows 15 closely centered bullet holes in the driver’s side door alone. The detective testified four bullets penetrated the interior of the cab.

April Kendrick, a crime lab worker, testified the bullets from Tuter's gun were hollow points and determined all 36 spent casings she analyzed came from his weapon.

In cross examination, the defense pointed out that hollow point bullets expand when they hit an object -- perhaps trying to explain why Tuter fired so many times. His attorney said in opening statements on Tuesday that tutor feared for his life.

The state's last witness was a medical examiner who testified Allen was pulled from his truck by a K9 that grabbed him by his face. She said that did not contribute to his death, but rather he died from three gunshot wounds -- two of which entered from the back.

The defense's first witness, the lead mesquite detective at the scene, took the stand late Wednesday afternoon. He told jurors Tuter used deadly force as it was needed and did not use it after the threat ended, as evidenced by the 5 bullets still left in his gun.

Tuter is expected to testify in his own defense on Thursday.