Closing arguments today in former cop’s manslaughter trial

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — After weeks of testimony and a day of legal arguments, lawyers are scheduled to make closing arguments today in the trial of a former Southport police officer charged with killing a mentally ill teen more than two years ago.

Bryon Vassey is charged with manslaughter in the Jan. 5, 2014, shooting death of Keith Vidal, 18. Vassey was one of three officers who responded to Vidal’s Boiling Spring Lakes home after his family called for help with the schizophrenic teen.

Vassey testified this week that he shot Vidal, who he says had a weapon, because he was concerned about the safety of the other officers.

Closing arguments were expected to begin yesterday, but the judge and the attorneys spent the day discussing the wording of the special instructions for the judge, who will determine a verdict in the bench trial.

When closing arguments began, the state said they would open and close.

The prosecution started with a quote: “What was the rush?”

The state said Vassey did not have to shoot Keith Vidal. The state said Vassey could have asked Vidal’s parents what was going on. The state said he could have tried communicating with Vidal. The state then, went through a timeline of what happened. The state said both officer Thomas and deputy Lewis advised everything was okay before Vassey arrived on January 5, 2014.

The state said Vassey wants you to believe it was such a dangerous, explosive scenario, that they didn’t have time to talk to the child at the end of the hallway. The state says every eye witness there said Keith Vidal was under control when he was shot and officer Thomas testified that the screwdriver never got close to him. The state says officer Thomas testified that Vassey did not act appropriately.

Meanwhile, Vassey sat very still with a stern face holding his hands together while he listened to the state’s closing arguments.

The state said it was four on one in that hallway. They said, there were four people to take care of that child and officer Vassey shot him.

The state said there is only one conclusion for the judge to find:

“Vassey was not justified when he shot Keith Vidal when he was laying on the floor not having committed a crime minding his own business in his own house.”

Then, the defense began their closing arguments.

The defense says the rush was the small, confined hallway. The defense said this is certainly a sad, tragic case, because we have had the loss of an 18-year-old.

The defense said they have to get into why it happened. He said Vidal’s step dad answered that question. His step dad testified that Vidal was trying to stab an officer.

The defense said Vassey had a duty that day to protect an officer who was under attack. Vassey said he was stopping a threat of harm.

The defense said Vidal was having a schizophrenic episode and threatened his mother, his father, and officer Thomas. The defense says Vidal kept saying, “Fight me. Fight me.”

The defense said the state makes it seem like Vassey, “came in like a bull in a China shop.” The defense said Vassey came in and made a suggestion for the other officer to tell Vidal to drop the weapon. They said the other officers did notobject to Vassey’s suggestions. They said alright.

The defense then read a transcript from officer Thomas’s body mic.

Vassey: “He came at you twice.”
Thomas:”I know.”
Vassey: “I had no other choice.”
Thomas: “I know.”
Thomas: “I was trying to get my taser and I wasn’t letting go of the screwdriver. He swung at me twice. He hit me in the chest.”

The defense also said Vidal’s family is suing for $5 million. The defense said that can be handled in civil court not criminal.

The defense said Vidal made a choice that day to charge that officer with a deadly weapon. The defense said the state did not try to figure out what lead up to this shooting. The defense said Vassey is not guilty, because he was doing his job as he was trained and required. He said that cannot be a crime.

The defense said Vassey never lied about medications. They said that question was not appropriate from the state because state did not submit a lab report as evidence. The defense also said the SBI did not look at taser download until two years after the incident at the request of Vassey.

The defense also pointed out that officer Thomas changed his testimony during cross examination saying Vassey said that Vidal was stabbing an officer not Vidal’s stepdad.

The state had one more chance to argue. The state said Vassey came into court and fabricated a story to fit his defense.

The state said the court either believes officer Thomas or the court believes a man who was in a hurry, who had an attitude  and who denies statements he made that all other witnesses testified to.

The judge will present his verdict some time Friday.