Officer Who Fired Shot That Killed Korryn Gaines: 'I Had No Choice'
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The officer who fired the shot that killed Korryn Gaines during a standoff in 2016 testified Monday in the civil trial over Gaines' death.
It was a day of tense moments and fiery exchanges as officer Royce Ruby took the stand in his own defense. Ruby, the Baltimore County officer who killed Gaines after a six-hour standoff, said "I gave her every opportunity to do the right thing, put the gun down and let Kodi come out."
"I took the first shot because I had no choice," he added.
In cross examination, Ruby was hammered with questions from attorneys for Gaines' family claiming he acted recklessly by firing the first shot without knowing where her son was located.
"Today, what we've seen is a bunch of 'testi-lying,' I mean testifying and crying," says J. Wyndal Gordon, a lawyer for the Gaines family.
Ruby admitted he never notified his team he was firing, and even shot the bullet past another officer's head.
Ruby said: "I'm telling you, officers will die unless I take that shot."
"He had plenty of choices. The problem is he decided to kill as opposed to use some less-lethal method," Gordon said.
While officers testified they felt safe during the standoff with where they were positioned, Ruby said, "we were in danger, Kodi was in danger, Miss Gaines was in danger, I was in danger, the entire team was in danger."
"He had plenty of choices. The choice is to wait like everybody else. There was no reason for him to take that shot and to take it when he took it -- when she's in the kitchen with her back turned," Gordon added.
On the stand, Ruby says Gaines pointed the gun at him, which he never mentioned in his depositions. Attorney Ken Ravenell was quick to point out: "If she pointed that gun at you while in the kitchen, you could've wrote that down."
Attorneys for Gaines' family have been quick to point out significant discrepancies between the trial testimony and depositions.
The defense is expected to wrap up their case Tuesday morning.
Baltimore County prosecutors previously found Ruby's shooting legally justified and did not file criminal charges.
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