TS - 09/12/2006 Witnesses begin testifying in Moore case

Witnesses begin testifying in Moore case 09/12/2006

EUREKA - Nine witnesses testified this morning about the events leading to the police shooting death of Cheri Lyn Moore, from the mental health case worker who called for a welfare check to the first responding officers at the scene.

Mental health employees described a distraught woman, who said she was grieving over the loss of her son and was trying to get help but also talked about blowing up her building and jumping out her window. One psychiatric nurse said she tried to reassure Moore that the people she was seeing in the hallway of the apartment building were police sent to help her and to put down the flare gun she had.

Phyliss Willner testified Moore was "exceedingly distressed" and said she didn't know who they were and was going to shoot them if they came in.

"I told her to put the gun down and go with them and we would take care of her," Willner said.The three police officers described slightly different recollections of the first encounter that day with Moore, including who retrieved a key to her apartment, who opened the door into her apartment, whether they asked a neighbor to knock on the door for them and if Moore spoke to them while they were in the hallway.