Ex-Trooper Testifying About Why He Shot Boy With Taser

DETROIT (AP) — A former Michigan state trooper charged with murder in the death of a Detroit boy is testifying in his own defense about why he fired a Taser at the 15-year-old.

Mark Bessner settled into the witness chair Thursday after prosecutors rested their case on the third day of trial. He told a judge he "very much" wanted to speak to jurors.

Bessner fired a Taser at Damon Grimes from his moving patrol car while the boy was driving an all-terrain vehicle at high speed on a Detroit street. Grimes crashed and died in August 2017.

Prosecutors say Bessner used unreasonable force on someone who wasn't a threat. The defense claims Bessner believed Grimes had a gun. The boy wasn't armed.

Bessner quit the state police after the incident.

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