Opinion ID: 1608346
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Incident One911 Call Received at 8:26 p.m.

Text: ¶ 45. As stated previously, there were three separate calls to police on the night of July 2, 2003, beginning at approximately 8:30 p.m. The first of the three calls for assistance was made by Williams' fourteen-year-old son, Michael. The call was necessitated by a fight between Wilson and Williams at the home of Williams' niece, Rika Carmichael, where the family had moved one or two days earlier. Carmichael testified that she heard bumping and fighting noises and opened the door to see Wilson on top of Williams. Carmichael, who testified that Williams' hair was messed up, instructed Michael to go call the police. ¶ 46. The majority refers to this first incident as an alleged domestic dispute and states that officers noticed nothing unusual about the appearance of Williams or Wilson, and that there was no indication that either of them had been struck, hit or harmed in any way. . . . This characterization is incorrect and unsupported by the record. The recording of the first incident reflects that immediately upon arrival on the scene, officers were greeted by voices that were at times loud and agitated, were informed that the parties were intoxicated and had been involved in an altercation, and observed that blood was visible on both parties. [6] This blood was discussed numerous times throughout the record. There are differing accounts of the blood. Officer Keller testified that he saw blood on Wilson's arm. Later, Keller testified as follows: When I observed him when I pulled them and separated them and brought him outside, he was there talking with me with hand gestures. And I looked at his right hand on his knuckle, and it looked like there was a slight aversion [sic] there. It didn't look like there was a cut. It looked like, you know, if you bump your knuckle you skin the skin back type deal. And I asked him what happened to his hand. And he said he really didn't know, he thought maybe he had done it at work because he had took the band-aid of [sic] it. I said, well, there's a little blood right there on your arm. He said, it may be coming from that. He said, I didn't even notice it. But the time I got there, if that would have been a fresh cut it would have been still bleeding or fresh blood, but the blood on his arm looked like it had been there a while. It was really dried to the skin. ¶ 47. Wilson cannot be heard to make any statement about receiving the cut at work on the recording. Keller testified that Wilson must have made the statement during one of the inaudible portions of the recording of the first incident. However, this statement is not supported by the record. On the recording, when asked about the blood on his arm, Wilson responded, that's where she grabbed me. She grabbed me and hit me in the head. Toward the end of the call, the officer asked Wilson how bad his hand was cut and then appears to ask Wilson whether he's going to get it sewn up. Wilson then responded that he did not know it was cut. When asked if it happened with the knife, Wilson responded that it might have. The recording of the second incident further disputes Keller's testimonial account of the blood and will be discussed later herein. ¶ 48. Officers also observed and secured a knife. Keller testified that it was only standard procedure and that the knife was returned. During the course of this call, Michael can be heard telling officers he saw the parties with their hands on each other but that he didn't see any blood. Officers separated Wilson from the group and Keller took him outside to question him while Valentine stayed inside with Williams, Carmichael, and the children. Carmichael testified that both she and Williams told Valentine that the parties had been fighting. The word tussling was also used at one point to describe the fighting. Valentine testified that he never interviewed any of the witnesses separately. ¶ 49. Upon getting Wilson outside, Keller recognized and remembered Wilson from a prior domestic call involving the same parties when they had lived at a different location. Wilson admitted the incident and said it had occurred on 8th Avenue and that Williams had called the police to have Wilson removed from the home. Keller could then be heard telling Wilson the following: Well, I'm gonna tell you like this, right now I got enough to take you both to jail for domestic violence because you're bleeding. . . . Keller then proceeded to point out that both parties had been drinking and could not drive, but that Wilson needed to find some place to go. Keller also told Williams that he had enough to put them both in jail for domestic assault, but was giving them a break unless police were called back out there that night, in which case they were both going to jail. Keller also could be heard telling Williams that he had told Wilson he needed to leave and that she had put him out before when she had lived on 8th Avenue that he had come over there on this before. Keller then told Williams that the parties needed to separate because somebody was going to end up getting hurt. Keller verified this statement again during his testimony at trial. On the recording, Keller also told Williams that he had enough probable cause to arrest both parties, but that he was going to let it slide this time. Keller also said, [t]he first one's on me and the next one's gonna be on you. ¶ 50. While officers were waiting for Wilson to leave, Wilson apparently inquired as to whether the officers were going to give him a ride, to which an officer responded, we can't ride you and told him it was not a taxi. An officer can also be heard saying, Man, did we not just sit there and tell you I'm cutting you a break right now? Then shortly afterward, an officer told Wilson to do himself a favor, get his stuff and take advantage of their generosity. After gathering his belongings, Wilson then apparently walked off down the street and the officers left.