A gun trigger was pulled in court as part of testimony at Cayce doctor’s trial
A gun expert was the central witness in the third day of the trial of a Cayce doctor accused of killing a man in the doctor’s home.
Master Armorer Charles Mills III of FN America, a gun manufacturer that makes its weapons in northeast Columbia, discussed the 9 mm pistol that was used in the shooting of William Player Holland. That gun was manufactured by FN.
Adam Lazzarini, a surgeon, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in Holland’s death. The doctor’s attorneys have said the shooting was an accident.
Mills said he has worked with FN for more than 20 years. He sells large quantities of guns to police agencies and trains officers how to use them. Before joining FN, Mills was a police officer.
Prosecutor Shawn Graham of the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office had Mills explain in detail the features of the 9 mm that stop it from firing. The intent was clearly to have Mills show the jury how many unsafe steps Lazzarini would have had to take for Holland to be shot. The prosecution has said that it plans to prove Lazzarini was “criminally negligent” while handling the firearms.
Lazzarini is charged with shooting Holland in the chest from close range while the two were looking at guns in an upstairs room. Investigators have testified that Lazzarini had been drinking before the shooting, but whether he was impaired has yet to be revealed by testimony.
Defense attorney Jack Swerling pressed Mills on reports of gun malfunctions and complaints about the 9 mm FN pistol, with the two verbally sparring at times.
Mills testified that one of the two complaints filed about the gun by a police agency was found to be caused by an officer unknowingly pulling a trigger. The other complaint from a police agency came after it tested loaded FN 9 mm pistols. With the slides slightly pushed back, the guns might not go off when the triggers were pulled, but could go off later if hit with a hammer or handled roughly.
Under questioning from Swerling, Mills said a novice could safely handle the gun and that no safety advisory had been issued about the gun. The two also jousted about whether a gun can “accidentally” or “unintentionally” go off.
The defense team is clearly pushing that Holland’s shooting was a tragic accident and have used the word “accident” frequently.
“If you pull the trigger on a loaded gun, it’s going to go off,” Mills told the court in response to one of Swerling’s questions.
Mills told the court he had never heard of a gun going off without the trigger being pulled.
Both the defense and prosecution had Mills “dry fire” an FN 9 mm, meaning he pulled the trigger without the gun being loaded.
An extremely cautious person with firearms, Mills ensured the gun wasn’t loaded, aimed at a back wall with no one in the line of sight and pulled the trigger on an FN 9 mm pistol that was brought for demonstration purposes. The click of the gun after Mills pulled the trigger was heard in the courtroom.
The trial continues Monday.
Along with Swerling, Greg Harris and Alissa Wilson are defending Lazzarini. Luke Pincelli, also of the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, is prosecuting the case as well. Judge Debra McCaslin is presiding over the case.
Check back with The State for the latest in the trial.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 5:46 PM.