INDIANAPOLIS — In day two of testimony in the trial of Elliah's Dorsey, we heard from nine police witnesses, 911 audio and reviewed evidence from a crime lab technician.
Dorsey is accused of killing officer Breann Leath in April of 2020. She was shot standing outside of an east side apartment door while responding to a domestic disturbance call. Three other officers were with her at the time of the shooting.
Tuesday in court, they said seconds after IMPD knocked on the suspect's door, shots were fired and Leath collapsed. Officers retreated but later went back in to get her. They described those moments with tears in their eyes.
IMPD Officer Daniel Hiser testified he heard the call over the radio and arrived on scene shortly after. He said a second round of shots was fired from inside the apartment complex.
Hiser got his rifle and led a group of officers up the staircase with a mission to get fallen officer Leath and secure the scene. On the way up, Hiser testified they passed another woman that had been shot in the legs.
Hiser said, as they reached Leath, the door was open and Dorsey could be seen on his knees inside the apartment with his hands up.A gun was on the ground four or five feet away and he could be heard asking officers not to shoot him.
Officers also testified that Dorsey apologized and said, "I didn't know she was a cop."
"He was saying something to the effect of 'I didn’t wanna do it but I had to.' He didn’t wanna die and a couple of versions of he didn’t want us to kill him," said Hiser.
In the back of the patrol car, he also allegedly asked if Leath had a family.
A 911 dispatcher was on the line when police made entry. A recording of the call played during court:
"Hands up! Hands up! Hands up! Hands up! On the ground!"
Dorsey: "No, no, no, please do not shoot me officer please. Please do not kill me sir. I feel like someone has been trying to kill me."
Officers: "Shut the f up! In the hallway! In the hallway!"
Officers: "Establishing a perimeter"
Officers to Dorsey: "You killed a f'ing cop you piece of s***.
"Control, we have one subject in custody."
"Clear."
"Go check on her!"
As officers search Dorsey:
"Make sure you don’t have anything on you. You not gonna kill me you f piece of s***.
You're getting canned for this buddy you hear me. Take him out there. They may end up doing something worse. You realize you shot a woman with a f'ing baby at home you piece of s***!"
The recording can be heard in the video above.
Dorsey's public defenders say the officers did not identify themselves as the police and said Dorsey thought someone was coming to kill him.
Tuesday, Sgt. Michael Skeens testified officers are not required to announce themselves as police when knocking on the door of routine calls. It is required he said, when serving a warrant.
The defense also claimed that Dorsey wasn't emotionally stable.
A detective described Dorsey as "uncontrollable."
"He was struggling, making statements, yelling, acting out of control, kicking his legs, fighting, trying to turn over. It was abnormal to say the least. I put a pair of ankle chains on his ankles. Once we had him secure in those, I just stood on the chain," said the Sgt. "We tried to walk him but he became more uncontrollable. So we decided carrying him down staircase would be best, and that's what we did."
As far as the evidence goes, the crime lab technician found eight shell casings in the apartment, four outside and bullet holes in three apartments.
The judge expects day three of court to last until around 6:15 p.m.
Watch the video at the top of the page for a rundown of today's day in court.
