On Wednesday morning, the defense had called on expert witnesses to convince Stockholm District Court that the police who fired the shots at Eric Torell, who had Down syndrome, had acted correctly.
Sonny Björk started the day by telling us about his solid background as one of Sweden's most experienced forensic technicians.
- It is not possible to judge which bullet has hit or what order they have made it. It may be the first bullet that killed him, he said.
In court, he also expressed his view that a person who has been hit by a shot, and who is lying down, can still pose a danger.
- That a person who has been shot would turn his back on the police does not mean that the emergency protection right would cease in my opinion. As long as you have a weapon in your hands and are conscious, you can defend yourself, Sonny Björk said.
His statement was questioned by the prosecutor who returned several times in the morning to the fact that the security situation for the police officers must have improved during the time the police fired it off the 25 shots that ultimately killed Eric Torell. In addition, prosecutors believed that a person's ability to move and be perceived as a threat was dependent on functionality and age.
The public and media were allowed to leave the hallWhen Sonny Björk wanted to use images from the autopsy to continue his statement, the judge chose to ask the public and media to leave the hall out of respect for Eric Torell and his family.
When the doors were reopened to the media and the general public, Jan Fredriksson, who teaches tactics and weapons management at the police college, testified. He said that the human brain takes a long time to switch to a situation that is perceived as threatening.
"It takes a long time to interrupt when you feel threatened," he said.