Opinion ID: 2326772
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Opinion Regarding Officers' Avoidance of Witnessing the Alleged Assault

Text: The defendant first argues that the state's attorney improperly stated his opinion that the officers who proceeded directly to the cab of Wilson's truck did so because they knew or suspected that Wilson was being assaulted at the rear of the truck by fellow officers and did not want to witness the assault. [31] We conclude that these remarks were not improper. At trial, Lazarus testified that, upon arriving at the scene, he noticed other officers at the rear of the truck struggling with Wilson. According to Lazarus, he did not stop to assist those officers or to determine the nature of the altercation but, rather, walked past the altercation and proceeded to inspect the interior of the cab of the truck. Fredericks similarly testified that, although he saw some activity at the rear of the truck, he checked the interior of the cab before determining what was happening behind the truck. It is not improper for the prosecutor to comment upon the evidence presented at trial and to argue the inferences that the jurors might draw therefrom.... (Internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Thompson, 266 Conn. 440, 465, 832 A.2d 626 (2003). In light of the evidence regarding the manner in which several of the officers conducted themselves upon arriving at the scene, it was permissible for the state's attorney to argue that the jury could infer that those officers proceeded directly to the cab of the truck in order to avoid witnessing the alleged assault. 2