### NUMBER 13 - 13 - 00416 - CR 

## COURT OF APPEALS THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS CORPUS CHRISTI

– EDINBURG

MICHAEL PATRICK KENNEDY , Appellant,

v. THE STATE OF TEXAS , Appellee.

On appeal from the 207th District Court of Comal County, Texas

.


## MEMORANDUM OPINION
Before Chief Justice Valdez and Justices Rodriguez and Garza

Memorandum Opinion by Justice Garza Appellant, Michael Patrick Kennedy, was convicted of attempted capital murder , a first

- degree felony, and was sentenced to sixty

- five years’ imprisonment. See T EX

. P ENAL C ODE A NN

. §§ 15.01, 19.03(a)(1) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.)

. On appeal, he contends: (1) the trial court erred by admitting hospital records; (2) his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance by failing to properly object to the admission of the hospital2

records; (3) the trial court erred in instructing the jur y that only the jury foreperson could
prepare and submit notes to the court ; and (4) the trial court erred in failing to define “provocation” in the jury charge. We affirm

. 1
I. B ACKGROUND On the night of March 3, 2005, police officer Richard Kunz was pat rolling In terstate 35 in Schertz, Texas, when he observed Kennedy’s vehicle speeding . Kunz activated his emergency lights and pursued Kennedy

. Kennedy eventually pulled over to the left
shoulder in between the concrete median barrier and the left travel lane. Kunz exited his patrol unit and approached Kennedy . Kunz testified: [W] hen I asked him for his driver ’ s license and proof of insurance, I remember seeing his body kind of tilt a little bit to the left and his hand

— or a motion that gave me an indication that his hand was going back there to the right, and typical of somebody who wou ld be reaching for their driver’s license and insurance and the walle t in the right backhand pocket. While waiting for t hat documentation is when I saw coming directly from the blackness the barrel of the gun pointed right at me. Kunz clarified that the gun was pointed at his “upper body.” He stated that he thought he was going to die at that point. He “ran for [his] life” back to the patrol unit and called for backup. Kennedy opened his driver’s side door and fired at the officer “numerous times ” with what Kunz thought was a handgun. Kunz took cover behind his patrol unit. There

was then a pause in the shooting, during which Kunz saw what appeared to be the barrel of a rifle “ coming out of ” Kennedy’s driver’s side door. He then heard gun shots and glass shattering around him as he crouched behind the patrol unit. He stated that the shots were “definitely [from a] machine gun because they were very rapid and they sounded a

1 This appeal was transferred from the Third Court of Appeals pursuant to an order issued by the Texas Supreme Court. See T EX

. G OV ’ T C ODE A NN

. § 73.001 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.).3

lot louder than just a handgun.” Kunz, having already twice ordered Kennedy t o drop his weapon, returned fire. He shot at Kennedy a total of sixteen times, firing unt il his service weapon was empty

. Kunz testified: At that po int I stayed behind my vehicle, not firing and waiting for cover. I did not know where [Kennedy] was. I did not know if he was still in the vehicle. I did not know if I hit him. I did not know if he was coming around on the sid e concrete barrier wall and was going to pop up on the side and shoot me. I didn’t even really know

. . . if he was on the right side of my vehicle and was approaching. And I remained there until the first responding officer arrived. Police closed off the portion of highway w h ere the incident was occurring and approached Kennedy’s vehicle from the opposite side o f the concrete median barrier. The officers
removed Kennedy , who had multiple gu nshot wounds, from his vehicle and placed him
under arrest

. Subsequent investigation showed that there were forty

- five bullet holes in Kunz’s patrol unit; Kennedy had fired at least ten rounds from a nine

- millimeter handgun and at least thirty rounds from an AK

- 47 assault rifle. T he handgun and rifle, along with other
weapons and ammunition, were recovered from Kennedy’s vehicle. A video recording taken from a camera in Kunz’s patrol unit was entered into evidence and played for the jury

. On cross

- examination, Kunz conceded that he did not tell dispatch or the backup officer s that Kennedy had fired at him first. He did not recall Kennedy saying on the video “I have been hit” prior to the time he took cover behind his patrol unit. Kunz a greed that, according to the video recording, he had actually fired on Kennedy from the front of his patrol unit , prior to taking cover and calling for backup, but
he did not mention this fact in a six

- page written statement he prepared the day after the
incident. Kunz agreed that a portion of his written statement was therefore “inaccurate.” When asked by defense counsel what he did to correct this “inaccuracy,” Kunz replied: “ I4

did not alter my statement or change my report. I let them stand and let the evidence stand for those who wish to look at both and interpret what they believe to be accurate
and true. ” An acoustics expert and a forensic audio expert each testified on Kennedy’s behalf that, according to their analyse s of the video recor ding, Kunz fired the first shot

. Dennis McKnight, who testified for the defense as an expert witness in the field of law enfo rcement, testified that, even if Kennedy displayed a gun when Kunz approached him, Kennedy presented no immediate threat to Kunz at the time Kunz took cover behind his patrol unit

. McKnight opined that Kennedy’s shooting at Kunz w as justified as self

defense

. Kennedy was convicted of attempted capital murder and this appeal followed. 2
II. D ISCUSSION A. Admission of Medical Records By his first issue, Kennedy contends that the trial court erred by admitting medical
records into evidence over his counsel’ s objection

. By h is second issue, he argues that, to the extent his trial counsel failed to preserve the objection, he provided in effective
assistance.

2 In 2006, Kennedy pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of a peace officer with a deadly weapon, a first

- degree felony , as a result of the events described above

. See T EX

. P ENAL C ODE A NN

. § 22.02(a)(2), (b)(2)(A) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.). The trial court accepted the plea, adjudicated Kennedy guilty, and sentenced him to seventy

- five years ’ imprisonment. Kennedy appealed, contending that the trial court erred in denying a pre

- trial motion to suppress evidence obtained from a police search of his residence. The Austin Court of Appeals held that Kennedy waived error by pleading guilty, but the court of criminal appeals reversed. Kennedy v. State , 297 S.W.3d 338, 342 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009) (holding that the evidentiary issue was preserved under Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 25.2(a)(2) because the State and Kennedy entered into a “charge

- bargain agreement” under which the State agreed not to pursue certain charges in exchange for the guilty plea). On remand, the Austin court held that the police search was unconstitutional and ordered a new trial. Kennedy v. State , 338 S.W.3d 84, 100

– 103 (Tex. App.

— Austin 2011, no pet.). The new trial, which gave rise to this appeal, took place in June 2013 before a Comal County jury.5

We review a trial court’s evidentiary rulings for abuse of discretion. Hernandez v. State , 390 S.W.3d 310, 324 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012). W e will uphold the ruling unless it lies outside the zone of reasonable disagreement. Id. To obtain a reversal of a conviction for ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must show that (1) counsel’s performance fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and (2) counsel’s deficient performance prejudiced the defense, resulting in an unreliable or fundamentally unfair outcome of the proceeding. Davis v. State , 278 S.W.3d 346, 352 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009) (citing Strickland v. Washington , 466 U.S. 668, 687 (1984)). At the conclusion of its case

- in

- chief, the State sought to admit its Exhibit 77, constituting 107 pages of hospital records documenting Kennedy’s injuries resulting from the May 3, 2005 shootout. Defense counsel argued that the records were obtained in violation of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA” ) and were therefore inadmissible

. See T EX

. C ODE C RIM

. P ROC

. A NN

. art. 38.23 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) (providing that evidence obtained in violation of law is not admissible). The t rial court denied the obje ction

. 3 The State contends that the evidence was admissible, that Kennedy failed to preserve error, 4 and that any error in admitting the evidence would be harmless.

3 Defense counsel also argued that the records were inadmissible because they were not properly authenticated as business records under Texas Rule of Evidence 903. The trial court sustained that objection in part and directed the prosecutor to remove copies of the subpoena and business records affidavit that were erroneously included in the proffered exhibit. The trial cou rt overruled the objection as to the actual medical records themselves. Defense counsel also objected to two pages of the exhibit on grounds that they w ere protected by the clergy

- communicant privilege u nder Texas Rule of Evidence 505, and to another portion of the exhibit on grounds that they contained statements made by police. T he trial court sustained those objections but admitted the remainder of the exhibit

. On appeal, Kennedy asserts only that the admitted records were inadmissible because the y were obtained in violation of HIPAA.

4 In particular, the State argues that defense counsel failed to specifically reference the statutory exclusionary rule prior to having his objection overruled

. See T EX

. C ODE C RIM

. P ROC

. A NN

. art. 38.23 (West, Westla w through 2013 3d C.S.).6

Assuming that the issue has been preserved, we find no abuse of discretion in the trial court’s ruling. Regulation s promulgated under HIPAA provide that “covered entities” such as hospitals generally may not disclose patients’ “ protected health information ” except under certain delineated circumstances. 45 C.F.R. § 164.502 (a) (West, Westlaw through 8 0 FR 26430 ). Under this “Privacy Rule,” o ne of the circumstances under which protected information may be disclosed without authorization of the pa tient is when
disclosure is “ for a law enforcement purpose

. . . [p]ursuant to process and as otherwise required by law

. ” Id. § 164.512(f) (West, Westlaw through 8 0 FR 26430 ). The applicable
subsection of the HIPAA Privacy Rule provides as follows:
A covered entity may disclose protected health information: (i) As required by law including laws that require the reporting of certain types of wounds or other physical injuries, except for laws subject to paragraph (b)(1)(ii) or (c)(1)(i) of this section; or ( ii) In compliance with and as limited b y the relevant requirements of: (A) A court order or court

- ordered warrant, or a subpoena or summons issued by a judicial officer; (B) A grand jury subpoena; or (C) An administrative request, including an administrati ve subpoena or summons, a civil or an authorized investigative demand, or similar process authorized under law, provided that: (1) The information sought is relevant and material to a legitimate law enforcement inquiry; (2) The request is specific and limi ted in scope to the extent reasonably practicable in light of the purpose for which the information is sought; and (3) De

- identified information could not reasonably be used. Id. § 164.512(f) (1).7

The documents at issue here were supplied pursuant to a subpoena duces tecum applied for by the State and issued by a Comal County deputy district clerk. Kennedy argues that c ourt clerks are not considered “judicial officers” for purposes of this regulation , and that subparagraph (ii)(A) of sub section 164.512(f)(1) therefore does not apply

. S ee United States v. Zamora , 408 F. Supp. 2d 295, 298 (S.D. Tex. 2006) (holding that, because “ there i s no support for the government’ s position that a court clerk is a judicial officer, the government did not properly comply with § 164.512(f)(1)(ii)(A) in its issuance of the subpoena”). Kennedy further cites State v. Jewell , wherein it was held that, under HIPAA, the appellant had “a reasonable expectation of privacy” in his medical records, other than his blood

- test results, and therefore had “standing to contest how the State obtained them.” No. 10

- 11

- 00166

- CR, 2013 WL 387800, at *4 (Tex. App.

— Waco Jan. 31, 2013, no pet.) (mem. op., not designated for publication)

. E ven though the Comal County district clerk may not be a “judicial officer” for HIPAA purposes, Kennedy does not address whether the records at issue were properly
disclosed under paragraph (i) or subparagraph (ii)(C) of the regulation. 5 We find that the records were, indeed, disclosable under these provisions. First, it is undisputed that the

5 In addition to his argument regarding subparagraph (ii)(A), Kennedy principally argues on appeal that subsection (e) of the regulation , which concerns “ [d] isclosures for judicial and administrative proceedings , ” does not apply

. See 45 C.F.R. § 164.5 12 ( e ) (West, Westlaw through 80 FR 26430)

. The State does not dispute that the records at issue were not disclosable under this s ub section

. See id. (providing that, in order for information to be disclosable in the course of a judici al or administrative proceeding, the covered entity must “receive[] satisfactory assurance” that “reasonable efforts have been made” by the party seeking the information (1) to ensure that the individual who is the subject of the requested information “has been given notice of the request” and (2) to obtain a protective order prohibiting the parties from using the information for other purposes and requiring the information to be returned or destroyed at the end of the proceeding). But the fact that the re cords were not disclosable under subsection (e) does not mean that the records could not have been disclosed under another subsection. See id. § 164.512(a) (“ A covered entity may use or disclose protected health information to the extent that such use or disclosure is required by law and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the rel evant requirements of such law.

. . . A covered entity must meet the requirements described in paragraph (c), (e), or (f) of this section for uses or disclosure s required by law. ” (emphasis added ) ).8

subpoena duces tecum was properly issued by the county clerk at the request of the prosecutor and that it possessed the force of law. See T EX

. C ODE C RIM

. P ROC

. A NN . art s

. 24.01 , 24.05 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.)

. The hospital was therefore
authorized to disclose the records at issue because the disclosure was “required by law.” 45 C.F.R. § 164.5 1 2 (f)(1)(i) 6 ; see Kennemur v. State , 280 S.W.3d 305, 313 (Te x. App.

— Amarillo 2008, pet. ref’d) (finding that the HIPAA Privacy Rule was not violated when medical records were disclosed pursuant to a lawfully

- issued subpoena duces tecum)

. Second, the subpoena duces tecum appears to meet the requirements of an “administrative subpoena” under subparagraph (ii)(c) in that the information sought was relevant to a legitimate law enforcement inquiry, the request made was reasonably specific and limited in scope, 7 and de

- identified information could not have be en reasonably used under the circumstances

. See id. § 164.512(f)(1)(ii)(c). Jewell is distinguishable because, in that case, the trial court found and the State conceded that the subpoena used to obtain the documents was invalid due to the fact that it did not comply with applicable statutory requirements. See 2013 WL 387800, at *4 (citing T EX

. C ODE C RIM

. P ROC

. A NN

. art. 20.11 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.)). Because disclosure of Kennedy’s hospital records pursuant to the subpoena duces
tecum was authorized under the HIPAA Privacy Rule , the trial court did not abuse its
discretion by admitting the records into evidence . For the same reason, Kennedy’s

6 As noted, subparagraph (i) of subsection (f)(1) allows a covered entity to disclose protected health information “[a] s required by law

. . . except for laws subject to paragraph (b)(1)(ii) or (c)(1)(i ) of this section .” Id. § 164.512(f)(1)(i). The cited paragraphs , which concern disclosures for “public health activities” and disclosures “ about victims of abuse, neglect , or domestic violence ” respectively, are not applicable here. See id. § 164.512(b)(1)(ii), (c)(1)(i).

7 The subpoena requested “copies and [sic] any and all medical records relating to Michael Patrick Kennedy, DOB 6/12/1956

. . . admitted on or about 3/4/2005.”9

ineffective assistance of counsel claim is witho ut merit. See Ex parte White , 160 S.W.3d 46, 53 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004) (holding that, w hen claiming ineffective assistance for failing to object, a party must demonstrate that if trial counsel had objected, the trial judge
would have committed error in refusing to sustain the objection )

. We overrule Kennedy’s first two issues.
B. Instruction Regarding Jury Notes Kennedy’s next two issues argue that t he trial court erred by instructing the jury
that only the foreperson could write and prepare notes to th e court during its deliberations, and by refusing Kennedy’s requested instruction that any juror could do so . He complains by his third issue that the rulings violated his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial and his Fifth Amendment right to due process, see U.S. C ONST . amends. V, VI, and by his fourth
issue that his corresponding rights under the Texas Constitution were violated by the ruling s

. See T EX

. C ONST

. art. I, § § 10, 19; id. art. V, § 13. The instruction about which Kennedy complains was contained within the guilt

innocence jury charge and states: “When the jury wishes to communicate with the Court, it shall notify the Bailiff, who shall inform the Court thereof. Any communications relati ve to the case must be written, prepared by the Foreperson and shall be submitted to the Court through the Bailiff.” Defense counsel objected to this instruction during the charge conference and orally proposed that the jury instead be instructed that not es could be “prepared by one of your members and shall be submitted to the Court through the bailiff.”
T he t rial court denied the objection and requested instruction

. The record in this case does not contain any written communication to the trial court fr om the jury during its deliberations. Kennedy argues that this could have been10

because the foreperson refused a juror’ s request to submit a note , but that it is not possible to determine whether this is so because the rules of evidence prohibit inquiries into the jury’s deliberations. See T EX

. R. E VID

. 606(b)(1). He argues that the error should be considered “structural error,” and therefore presumed harmful, because “[t] he inability of the eleven other jurors to communicate with the court without essentially seeking the foreperson’s permission denies a defendant his right to a unanimous, twelve person jury

. . . .” See Jordan v. State , 256 S.W.3d 286, 290 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008) (noting that

an error which “affect[s] the framework within which the trial proceeds, rather than simply

an erro r in the trial process itself” and “render[s] a trial fundamentally unfair” is “structural error” which is not amenable to a harm analysis). The trial court is required to give the jury a written charge “ distinctly setting forth the law applicable to the case” and “ not expressing any opinion as to the weight of the evidence, not summing up the testimony, discussing the facts or using any argument in his charge calculated to arouse the sympathy or excite th e passions of the jury. ” T EX

. C ODE C RIM

. P ROC

. A NN

. art. 36.14 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.). Trial courts have “broad discretion” in submitting proper definitions and explanatory phrases to aid the jury. Nava v. State , 379 S.W.3d 396, 420 (Tex. App.

— Houston [14th Dist.] 2012), aff’ d , 415 S.W.3d 289 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013) ; see Shipp v. State , 331 S.W.3d 433, 444 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011) (Meyers, J., concurring). But a trial court has no discretion in determining what the law is or applying the law to the facts. State v. Kurtz , 152 S.W.3d 72, 81 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004). Here, the trial court’s instruction tracked article 36.27 of the code of cri minal procedure, which provides :11

When the jury wishes to communicate with the court, it shall so notify the sheriff, who shall inform the court thereof. Any communication relative to the cause must be written, prepared by the foreman and shall be submitted to the court through the bailiff. The court shall answer any such communication in writing, and befor e giving such answer to the jury shall use reasonable diligence to secure the presence of the defendant and his counsel, and shall first submit the question and also submit his answer to the same to the defendant or his counsel or objections and exceptions , in the same manner as any other written instructions are submitted to such counsel, before the court gives such answer to the jury, but if he is unable to secure the presence of the defendant and his counsel, then he shall proceed to answer the same as h e deems proper. The written instruction or answer to the communication shall be read in open court unless expressly waived by the defendant.

. . . T EX

. C ODE C RIM

. P ROC

. A NN

. art. 36.27 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) (emphasis added) . Because the in struction tracked the statute, we conclude that the trial court did
not abuse its discretion in including the instruction and denying inclusion of Kennedy’s requested instruction. Kennedy further appears to assert in his reply brief that the statute authorizing the instruction is itself unconstitutional. However, he does not cite any Texas or federal case law to support his position. Instead, he cites only a 1985 case in which the North Carolina Supreme Court held that it was error for the trial court to respond to an inquiry presented by the jury foreperson without requiring the presence of all jurors. State v. Ashe , 331 S.E.2d 652, 657 ( N.C. 1985) . That court held: Our jury system is designed to [e] nsure that a jury’ s decision is the result of evidence and argument offered by the contesting parties under the control and guidance of an impartial jud ge and in accord with the judge’ s instructions on the law. All these elements of the trial should be viewed and heard simultaneously by all twelve jurors. To allow a jury foreman, another individual juror, or anyone else to communicate privately with the trial court regarding matters material to the c ase and then to relay the court’ s response to the full jury is inconsistent with this policy. The danger presented is that the person, even the jury foreman, having alone made the request o f the court and heard the court’ s response firsthand, may through misunderstanding, inadvertent editorialization, or an intentional misrepresentati on, inaccurately relay the jury’ s request or the court's12

response, or b oth, to the defendant’ s detriment. Then, each juror, rather than determining for himself or herself the impo rt of the request and the court’ s response, m ust instead rely solely upon their spokesperson’ s secondhand rendition, however inaccurate it may be. Id. Kennedy appears to contend that article 36.27 of the code of criminal procedure subjects defendants to a similar risk of “ misunderstanding, inadverte nt editorialization, or intentional misrepresentati on” on the part of the foreperson. Defense counsel did not exp l icitly contend at trial that the statute is

un constitutional; in fact, no mention was made at all of the statute during the charge conference

. See T EX

. R. A PP

. P. 33.1; Fuller v. State , 253 S.W.3d 220, 232 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008) (noting that “even constitutional error

. . . may be forfeited if the appellant failed to object”). Even assuming this issue was preserved by counsel’s general object ion to the constitutionality of the instruction , we do not find error in the trial court’s decision.
Ashe is not persuasive because that case involved a discussion between the trial court and the jury foreperson outside of the presence of the rest of the jury, not a statute requiring jury notes to be directed through the foreperson. See 331 S.E.2d at 657.
Mo reover, the Ashe court found that a North Carolina statute was violated by the trial court’s actions, but did not pass judgment on whether the appellant’s constitutional rights
were violated. See id. In the absence of any other authority supporting Kenne dy’s position, we do not find it meritorious.
K ennedy’s third and fourth issue s are overruled. C. Definition of “Provocation” By his fifth and final issue, Kennedy contends that the trial court erred in refusing his request to include a particular definition of “provocation” in the jury charge

.13

P rovocation is an exception to the justification of self

- defense. 8 See T EX

. P ENAL C ODE A NN

. § 9.31 (b)(4) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) (providing that self

defense generally does not justify the use of force “ if the actor provoked the other’ s use or attempted use of unlawful force ”). During the charge conference, defense counsel proposed the following instruction: Provocation is defined as, one, that the defendant did some act or used some words whic h provoked the act on him

. . . Two, that such acts or words were reasonably calcula ted to provoke the attack, and, three, that the act was do ne or words were used for purpose and with the intent that the defendant would have a pretext for inflicting harm upon others. C ounsel argued that the proposed instruction was necessary because the State’s theory was that it was irrelevant whether Kennedy fired first because, even if he did not, he provoked Kunz’s actions. The proposed instruction is drawn from Smit h v. State , in which the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals explained when “[a] charge on provocation is required.” 965 S.W.2d 509, 513 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998) (“ A charge on provocation is required when there is sufficient evidence (1) that the defendant did some act or used some words which provoked the attack on him, (2) that such act or words were reasonably calculated to provoke the attack, and (3) that the act was done or the words were used

8 The jury was instructed as follow s : If a person attempting to claim self

- defense provoked the other’s use of unlawful force or attempted use of unlawful force, then such person is not entitled to rely upon self

- defense, unless the person: a) abandons the encounter, or clearly communicates to the other his intent to do so reasonably be lieving he cannot safely abandon the encounter, and b) the other nevertheless continues or attempts to use unlawful force against the person.

. . . . [I]f you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that at the time and place in question that the Defendant provoked Richard Kunz’s use or attempted use of unlawful deadly force if any by pointing a firearm at the said Richard Kunz, then you should find against the Defendant on the issue of self

- defense and say by your verdict “guilty.” We assume, for purposes of this opinion, that these instructions were supported by the evidence and therefore properly included in the jury charge.14

for the purpose and with the intent that the defendant would hav e a pretext for inflicting harm upon the other. ”). The State contends in response that the trial court did not err in refusing the instruction because it would have constituted an impermissible comment on the weight of
the evidence. It cites K irsch v. State , where the cou rt of criminal appeals stated: Although an appellate court may articulate a definition of a statutorily undefined, common term in assessing the sufficiency of the evidence on appellate review, a trial court’ s inclusion of that definitio n in a jury charge may constitute an improper comment on the weight of the evidence.

. . . We have generally held that , if a jury

- charge instruction is not derived from the penal code, it is n ot “ applicable law ” under [article] 36.14. With only limited exceptions, the trial court may not include an in struction that focuses the jury’ s attention on a specific type of evidence that may support a finding of an element of an offense. Juries ar e free to consider and evaluate the evidence in whatever way they consider it rele vant to the statutory offenses, and special, non

- statutory instructions, even when they relate to statutory offenses or defenses, generally have no place in the jury charg e. 357 S.W.3d 645, 651 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012) ( cit ing Walters v. State , 247 S.W. 3d 204, 211, 212, 214 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007) ). In K irsch , the Court held that an instruction on the definition of “operate” in a driving while intoxicated case was improper because, while “the definition set forth in the charge is an appropriate definition for an appellate court to apply in assessing the sufficiency of the evidence to support the ‘operate’ element,” the jurors “should have been free to assign th at term any meaning which is acceptable in common parlance.” Id. (quotation omitted). Kirsch relied on Walters , which held that : [G] enerally speaking, neither the defendant nor the State is entitled to a special jury instruction relating to a statutory offense or defense if that instruction (1) is not grounded in the Penal Code, (2) is covered by the general charge to the jury, and (3) focuses the jury’ s attention on a specific type of evidence that may support an element of an offense or a defense. 2 47 S.W. 3d at 212.15

W e note that t he requested instruction is not grounded in the penal code, but the content of the instruction is not “covered by the general charge to the jury,” see id. , because the charge did not contain any general definition of “provoke” or “provocation.” Further, the proposed instruction would not have “focuse[d] the jury’s attention on a specific type of e vidence that may support an element of an offense or a defens e.” See
id. Instead, it would have merely incorporated existing case l aw, as elucidated in Smith , into the instruction regarding the self

- defense justification. The State contends that “‘provocation’ is a term of common usage” and therefore did not require a precise definition. But the court of criminal appeals, in Smith , d efined “provocation” in a specialized manner applicable only to assertions of the self

- defense justification in criminal proceedings. See 965 S.W.2d at 513 . Though j urors may “freely read [undefined] statutory language to have any meaning which is accept able in common parlance , ” terms “which have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law ” are “considered as having been used in their technical sense.” Kirsch , 357 S.W.3d at 650 (citing Medford v. State , 13 S.W.3d 769, 771

– 72 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000); Denton v. State , 911 S.W.2d 388, 390 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995) )

. 9 Under Smith , a trial court need not instruct the jury on “provocation” at all unless there is evidence that the defendant’s actions or words were “reasonabl y calculated to provoke the attack” and “were used for the purpose and with the intent that the defendant would have a pretext for inflicting harm upon another.” Id. Kirsch is distinguishable because there was no controlling case law dictating

9 Statutorily undefined words and phrases are ordinarily “construed according to the rules of grammar and common usage.” K irsch v. State , 357 S.W.3d 645, 650 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012) (quoting T EX

. G OV ’ T C ODE A NN

. § 311.011(a) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) and citing T EX

. P ENAL C ODE A NN

. § 1.03(b) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) (applying government code section 311. 011 to the penal code)). But “[w]ords and phrases that have acquired a technical or particular meaning, whether by legislative definition or otherwise, shall be construed accordingly.” T EX

. G OV ’ T C ODE A NN

. § 311.011(b).16

any partic ular definition of “operate.” See Kirsch , 357 S.W.3d at 648 ( noting that the charged definition of “operate” was, according to defense counsel, “made up by the prosecutor himself”). In any event, assuming but not deciding that the trial court erred in refusing Kennedy’s requested instruction, we find that Kennedy has not suffered harm as a result of the ruling

. When the appellant has properly preserved charge error, as here, reversal is required if we fi nd at least “some harm” to the appellant’s rights. Reeves v. State , 420 S.W.3d 812, 816 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013) (citing Almanza v. State , 686 S.W.2d 157, 171 (Tex. Crim. App. 19 8 5 ) (op. on reh’ g) ). This analysis requires a reviewing court to
consider: (1) the jury charge as a whole, (2) the arguments of counsel, (3) the entirety of the evidence, and (4) other relevant factors present in the record. Id. We first observe that, because the legal defin ition of “provocation” was omitted from the jury charge, the jury’s ability to conclude that Kennedy’s actions were justified as self

- defense was restricted. That is because the legal , technical definition of provocation is far more restrictive than commo n, dictionary meaning. The dictionary defines “to provoke” as “ to incite to anger ” or “ to stir up purposely .” M ERRIAM W EBSTER O NLINE D ICTIONARY , http://www.merriam

- webster.com/dictionary/provoke (last visited June 9 , 2015). On the other hand, as noted, the legal definition of provocation requires act s or words on the part of the defendant that are “used for the purpose and with the intent that the defendant would have a pretext for inflicting harm upon another.” Smith , 965 S.W.2d
at 513. K ennedy points out that the State emphasized h is alleged provocation of Kunz in its closing argument at the guilt

- innocence phase of trial . In particular, the prosecutor17

argued that Kennedy “started it when he p ointed that gun at Officer Kunz.” The prosecutor
also sta ted: [W] ho s hot first in this case is about as important as what type of car the defendant was driving that night. Okay? It is not important because the moment that the de fendant picked up a firearm and pointed it at a police officer, he forfeited the right to claim self

- defense. He forfeited the right to claim self

- defense when he c ontinuously fired 45 shots into that officer’ s police car, ladies and gentlemen. The prosecutor concluded her closing argument by stating: “ When you go back there, I ask that you find the defendant guilty of a ttempted capital murder because when you pull
a gun on a police officer, you do not get to claim self

- defense. You have provoked the
event. Thank you. ” In response, t he State contends that a ny error in the jury charge is harmless because “there was overwhelming evidence that [Kennedy] provoked t he encounter.” We
agree. We note that t here was some discussion at the cha rge conference about a “suicide

- by

- cop” theory; i.e., that Kennedy may have pulled his gun on the officer intending only to provoke the officer to fire at him. The trial court denied Kennedy’s requested instruction in part because the court believed that suicide

- by

- cop “could be a
well

- arg ued theory of this case.” The trial court was incorrect, however, in light of Smith

. If Kennedy did indeed pull his gun on Kunz with only the intent to commit suicide

- by

- cop, then his actions would not constitute “provocation” as defined in Smith because he would not have possessed the intent to establish a pretext to attack the officer. See i d

. Nevertheless, Kennedy directs us to no evidence or argument specifically supporting a
suicide

- by

- cop theory , and we find none

. 10 Instead, the undisputed evidence showed that

10 According to the prosecutor, o ne of the medical records excluded on the basis of the clergy

communicant privilege stated that “[t]his incident was another attempt, according to the patient, to cause injury to himself.” But as noted, the trial court sustained defense counsel’s objection to this evidence and18

Kennedy fired forty

- five rounds at Kunz, which strongly supports a conclusion that, by brandishing his weapon, Kennedy intended to establish a pretext to attack Kunz. Accordingly, even if the jury had been instructed in accordance with Smith , it is overwhelmingly likely that it would have reached the same conclusion as to the self

defense i ssue

. Ha ving reviewed the entire record, including the entire jury charge and arguments
made by counsel, we conclude that Kennedy has not suffered any actual harm from the omission of his requested definition from the jury charge. See Reeves , 420 S.W.3d at
816

. Kennedy’s fourth issue is therefore overruled.
I II

. C ONCLUSION We affi rm the trial court’s judgment. DORI CONTRERAS GARZA, Justice
Do not P ublish. T EX

. R. A PP

. P. 47.2(b).
D elivered and filed the 11th day of June , 20 15

.

it was never before the jury.