Photographer retakes model portraits decades later
A photographer who was nearly killed when he took the wrong picture of a man holding a gun said he was stunned to learn his work would be used in the trial of a man accused of killing a police officer with that gun.
The photographer, who remains unnamed, said he tried very hard to get the shot of the man with the gun in the courtroom, only to be met with anger from the man.
He said he took his pictures at his own request and didn’t know if he had been attacked. He said he tried to defend himself but was handcuffed, handcuffed with his arms behind him and told he would have to shoot his arms in order to get the picture.
“I felt like I had been attacked and was really startled when I realized it was going to be put in the trial, because I was trying to do the right thing by taking the picture and making sure the person was safe,” he said.
The man who shot the officer was never charged or convicted in the officer’s death. David Riddle, an attorney for the man, is seeking to use the images to prove that his client’s use of force was justified. The officer’s family has filed a complaint against Riddle.
The court documents did not indicate whether the gunman was ever tried, if he was convicted, or if Riddle’s case goes forward at all.
The shooter, who appears in a photograph in court on Wednesday, had a long history of violent, self-defense-related arrests and convictions. In 1998, he was arrested on charges of first-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault after an argument that involved a man who died during the altercation.
Also in 1998, he was arrested on assault charges and had a gun. He was given an 18-month suspended sentence and community service.
In 2001, he was convicted on charges in St. Petersburg of armed burglary and grand theft after an argument that involved a man who died during the altercation. He was sentenced to two years of probation and was ordered to stay away from the victim’s son, who was the man’s fiancé.
Also in 2001, he was arrested for possession of a stolen bicycle and served six days in jail. He was charged with grand theft and released.
In 2002, he was arrested for assault by pointing a gun at another man. He was arrested and served 35 days in jail. He was convicted of felony battery with a