Trial begins for suspect in Gilbert officer's murder

PHOENIX - Opening statements began Wednesday in the murder trial of a man accused in the shooting death of a Gilbert police officer.

Lt. Eric Shuhandler was gunned down when he stopped a truck driven by Daimen Irizarry for having an obstructed license plate.

Irizarry's attorneys say Irizarry's passenger, Christopher Redondo, told Lt. Shuhandler he could fix it.

The two went behind the car and that's when Irizarry claims the gun went off. 

Irizarry defense attorney Charles Case said in court  all his client heard was "BAM" and that he had no criminal intent.

"He's scared, he panicked, he doesn't know what to do," said Case while describing why Irizarry hit the gas pedal and sped from the scene.

Case went on to tell jurors that Redondo got back in the vehicle and ordered Irizarry to drive away.

"He was looking at the devil," Case said. "Redondo just started screaming at him, 'drive, go, go, go.'"

Irizarry and Redondo took officers on a 50-mile high speed chase that began on U.S. 60 and ended in the town of Superior when the truck finally ran out of gas.

"He did what he had to do," said Case, who claims Irizarry didn't even know Redondo had a gun until he started shooting at the patrol cars chasing them.

Investigators say there were two handguns in the truck.

"They just keep driving along, he (Irizarry) won't stop, he just won't stop, they just keep driving and driving," said an Assistant Maricopa County Attorney.

Prosecutors told jurors at one point Redondo jumped in the bed of the pickup truck and started throwing things out of it, describing the chase to jurors as "hell breaking loose."

Gilbert Police Sgt. Christopher Toth and Sgt. Charles Langley said in court they heard a "single gunshot ring out" and rushed to the intersection of Val Vista and Baseline Roads where they found Shuhandler shot in the head.

Toth was first to testify. He told jurors he saw the officer down and that it looked like his head "was blown off."

Toth noticed Shuhandler's gun was still in his holster and Redondo's driver's license was still on him "covered in blood."

Prosecutors told jurors they will prove Irizarry was a helper high on methamphetamine.

"He (Irizarry) couldn't even provide his medical history while at the hospital," said the prosecutor.  "He had ingested methamphetamine."

Irizarry's defense attorney then fired back in court.

"Methamphetamine had nothing to do with this," said Case.  "Their whole case isn't based upon facts, it's going to be a case based on sympathy and prejudice, sympathy for the poor officer that lost his life that he (Irizarry) had nothing to do with."

Prosecutors say Irizarry's guilt began the moment he drove away when the single shot was fired at Shuhandler.

"He (Irizarry) immediately began to help his friend Christopher Redondo," said the prosecutor.

Irizarry faces several charges including aggravated assault, drive-by shooting and unlawful flight from law enforcement.