Saturday, May 18, 2013 | 11:15 p.m.
Hi, (not you?) | Member Center | Sign Out
Posted: 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —
A former Orlando police officer on trial after being charged with killing his son took the stand in his own defense for much of the day on Wednesday.
The prosecution rested in the case of Tim Davis Sr. The defense is presenting its case, and testimony will resume Thursday.
Davis said he shot and killed his son, Tim Davis Jr., 22, in self-defense in October 2011.
While on the stand, Davis' emotions ranged from sadness and tears to anger at prosecutors.
Channel 9's Kathi Belich was in court and said Davis' story was not the same he told to the grand jury that indicted him.
"I had my hand behind his head and just whispered, said, 'Hang in there," Davis told the court.
Davis told the jury that when he told police that night he was "in a funk" after he and his son got into a physical fight, he meant, "I was dazed. I was disoriented. I was dizzy. I was hurt. I was lethargic. I was scared."
The prosecutor got Davis to admit major inconsistencies between what he told the grand jury under oath and what he said Wednesday on the stand.
The prosecutor repeated questions Davis was asked about what he told the grand jury he did with his gun as soon as he took it out of his car.
"Do you point it? Put it in your pocket?" asked prosecutor Jim Altman. "You said, 'No, no I had the gun. I got the gun and started walking.' Correct?"
"Correct," Davis replied.
Davis said that to the grand jury before he knew his own security camera had captured a much different scene, which showed him pull out the gun and immediately fire in his son's direction.
He told the grand jury both shots were almost simultaneous, but he said Wednesday there was a long pause between what he now calls "warning shots."
When the prosecutor asked why Davis never told police he fired in self-defense, he said he didn't realize then that Apopka police had an agenda.
During testimony, the judge had to take a break to make Davis hand over his Bible, which he shouldn't have taken to the witness stand.
Davis' wife, Tarsha Davis, also took the stand on Wednesday. She broke down when she was asked about her children.
The state rested after showing the jury surveillance video that shows Tim Davis Sr. taking a gun out of his car and immediately aiming and firing at his son.
The jury saw zoomed-in, slow-motion versions.
Even though the defense saidĀ Davis' knees had been badly hurt minutes earlier, he appeared to have no trouble walking or standing.
If convicted, DavisĀ faces life in prison.
© 2013 Cox Media Group. By using this website,
you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices
.
Already have an account? Sign In
{* #registrationForm *} {* traditionalRegistration_displayName *} {* traditionalRegistration_emailAddress *} {* traditionalRegistration_password *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *}Already have an account? Sign In
{* #registrationFormBlank *} {* registration_firstName *} {* registration_lastName *} {* traditionalRegistration_displayName *} {* traditionalRegistration_emailAddressBlank *} {* registration_birthday *} {* registration_gender *} {* registration_postalZip *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordBlank *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirmBlank *} {* agreeToTerms *}We have sent you a confirmation email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account.
We look forward to seeing you frequently. Visit us and sign in to update your profile, receive the latest news and keep up to date with mobile alerts.
Don't worry, it happens. We'll send you a link to create a new password.
{* #forgotPasswordForm *} {* forgotPassword_emailAddress *}We have sent you an email with a link to change your password.
We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.
To sign in you must verify your email address. Fill out the form below and we'll send you an email to verify.
{* #resendVerificationForm *} {* resendVerification_emailAddress *}Check your email for a link to verify your email address.

You're Almost Done!
Select a display name and password
{* #socialRegistrationForm *} {* socialRegistration_displayName *} {* socialRegistration_emailAddress *} {* traditionalRegistration_password *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *}Tell us about yourself
{* registration_firstName *} {* registration_lastName *} {* registration_postalZip *} {* registration_birthday *} {* registration_gender *} {* agreeToTerms *}