Alleged killer of Melvindale officer Mohamed Said tells off lawyer in court
Cpl. Mohamed Said's accused killer tells off lawyer in court
Day four of the trial involved testimony from a Melvindale police officer who responded immediately when learning Corporal Mohamed Said was shot. The jury also heard from a detective who found ammunition and prescription drugs in the home of the defendant, 45-year-old Michael Lopez.
MELVINDALE, Mich. (FOX 2) - It was a tense court session in the trial of a man accused of killing a Melvindale police officer two years prior. The trial ended in an outburst from suspect Michael Lopez.
Big picture view:
It was day four of the trial and involved testimony from a Melvindale police officer, who responded immediately when learning Corporal Mohamed Said was shot. The jury also heard from a detective who found ammunition and prescription drugs in the home of the defendant, 45-year-old Lopez.
An expert said Lopez had four cell phones on him when Corporal Said confronted him about littering a cigarette butt in the July 2024 incident.
Video was played showing a foot chase between the two. Lopez was also tased before a fatal shot was fired. But this is the moment that left many stunned at the end of the day’s proceedings.
What they're saying:
Legal experts tell FOX 2 that an outburst is not how you replace your lawyer. They say Lopez would need to show the judge something like a major conflict of interest or documented ethical violations.
Mohamed Said's accused killer tells off lawyer in court
The trial of a man accused of murdering a Melvindale police officer continued Thursday, and ended with an outburst from suspect Michael Lopez.
Previous testimony in murder trial
Court Wednesday included a virtual walk-through of the murder scene, more details about what happened the day Said was killed, and emotional testimony from an officer who responded to the scene.
Witness Ralph Turner said there was a struggle between Said and Lopez before the officer was killed.
"They struggled. He is trying to get the gun on the ground," he told the court. "In the process, he ends up getting the gun, he flips onto his back and shoots the officer."
Officer Mohamed Hacham testified that when he arrived and saw Said's body, his firearm was holstered, meaning that the officer did not pull his weapon.
Rebecca Davis, a friend of Lopez's, also spoke during the trial. She claimed to not have done anything wrong and unaware why she had been called to testify.
"I’m not understanding why I’m here if I stated I did not see anything, I wasn’t even there," she told the prosecution, which clarified she had witnessed events "prior to" the shooting.
"I didn’t witness anything though," she said. "I’m a witness to your cop coming to us aggressively."
The statement drew a rebuke from the judge.
The Source: Previous reporting and court testimony was used in this report.