EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The other Las Cruces Police officer who was there the day Presley Eze was shot and killed in 2022 testified Monday, Feb. 10 in the trial of Brad Lunsford.
Lunsford, now a former Las Cruces police officer, is on trial in the shooting death of Eze and is facing a charge of voluntary manslaughter with a firearm enhancement.
In August 2022, officer Keegan Arbogast was called as backup for Lunsford after Eze reportedly stole a beer from a gas station and couldn’t identify himself to Lunsford.
During his testimony, Arbogast described the moment he and Lunsford tried to arrest Eze as well the ensuing physical altercation.
“I was really just holding on for dear life because after getting hit in my head, I really couldn’t function. I was kind of vulnerable, in a very vulnerable spot. So my main thing was just hold, hold on for backup. That’s all. That’s all I could really do. That’s all I was able to do,” Arbogast said during his testimony.
During cross-examination, the state pointed out some inconsistencies in Arbogast’s past statements compared to the one he gave to the jury.
State: “You’ve never described in either of those previous statements as having tunnel vision, before today. Have you?”
Arbogast: “Not that I could remember, no”
State: “In fact, in a deposition that you just gave in December. You said, ‘I wasn’t dizzy, but I was dazed. I felt weak. I just couldn’t perceive it. I could see, I could see, but I couldn’t perceive.’ And you were asked, ‘So you didn’t have blurred vision?’ And you said no. Remember that?
Arbogast: “Yes”
The defense also brought in Barry Brodd as their first expert witness. He testified as a use-of-force expert.
Brodd testified in defense of Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, who was found guility of murdering George Floyd in 2020.
Brodd testified that Lunsford was justified in the use of deadly force.
“Officer Lunsford recognized that as soon as Eze had disarmed Officer Arbogast of the taser and armed himself with the taser, the situation completely changed,” Brodd said.
“Now, Officer Lunsford made a decision that Officer Arbogast was in imminent jeopardy,” Brodd said.
During cross-examination, the state questioned Brodd’s expertise on the taser and pointed out that he is not certified in using one.
Lunsford is expected to testify Tuesday. The trial will resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
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