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Jurors weigh shooting case They consider questions of intent By Jessica Smith Did Moises Sanchez-Llamas intend to kill someone when he fired a .357 Magnum at two Medford police officers in a December 1999 gun battle? Did he know he was shooting at officers? Did he even shoot first? These questions were posed Monday afternoon to a jury that must decide whether Sanchez-Llamas, 27, committed attempted aggravated murder, among other charges. "The question is, did he intentionally shoot at officers ... or was he reacting to something?" asked defense attorney Bob Abel. By 8 p.m. Thursday, the jury had yet to come to an answer. The jury is expected to resume deliberations this morning. In their closing statements, Abel and Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston, who�s prosecuting the case, agreed that Sanchez-Llamas fired a gun at officers Scott Clauson and Mike Strouse in an early morning incident in west Medford. But while Abel suggested Sanchez-Llamas may have been reacting to shots fired by police officers, Huddleston said Sanchez-Lamas fired his weapon first and "directly" at the officers. Huddleston�s contention was backed up by Clauson, who was hit in the right leg by a bullet from Sanchez-Llamas�s gun. Clauson testified he and Strouse encountered Sanchez-Llamas behind a duplex on South Columbus Avenue, where there had been a report of a domestic disturbance involving an armed man. After he and Strouse saw Sanchez-Llamas crouching be-hind the duplex, he shined his flashlight on the defendant, Clauson said. "I was surprised to see a gun in his hand," he added. "I remember just saying, �Police, drop the weapon� ... . However, he never stopped." Clauson said Sanchez-Llamas fired two shots before a bullet tore through Clauson�s leg, fracturing his femur. "The last I remember, he was advancing toward me," said Clauson, who was separated from the defendant by a fence at the time of the shooting. "I felt ... that he definitely wanted to kill me; so I unloaded my weapon." Clauson said he fired 14 rounds. Strouse also fired at Sanchez-Llamas, but missed. Based on testimony by Clauson and Strouse, Huddleston said it�s clear Sanchez-Llamas knew the men were police officers. Both stated Clauson identified the pair as police before the shooting began. "Who else would it be?" Huddleston asked. He told the jury there was no evidence of any "bushy-haired strangers" out that night, and pointed out that Sanchez-Llamas admitted in statements to police he had seen officers arrive on the scene the morning of the shooting. In that same statement, however, Sanchez-Llamas denied he knew police were at the duplex, Abel said. He also denied firing first. And he stuck to that story, Abel said. Sanchez-Llamas waived his right to testify Monday, but Abel said discrepancies in his client�s statement were likely the result of manipulations by police. Dr. Jose La Calle, a licensed clinical psychologist from California, testified Monday that Sanchez-Llamas appears to suffer from delusional paranoia. Combined with alcohol and drugs � which Sanchez-Llamas told police he had ingested before the shooting � the paranoia may have contributed to the contradictions in the defendant�s statements, La Calle said. La Calle also suggested police "barraged" Sanchez-Llamas with questions until he finally admitted he knowingly fired at police officers. Sanchez-Llamas later recanted the admission, La Calle said. Sanchez-Llamas is charged with two counts of attempted aggravated murder for firing at police officers, one count of first-degree assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of resisting arrest and two counts of first-degree burglary with a firearm, among other things. For the most serious charges � attempted aggravated murder and first-degree assault, both class A felonies � the jury may choose to convict on lesser charges, such as third-degree assault, a class C felony. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.