The neighbors called 911, the prosecutor said, to report a burglary in progress and gunshots being fired.
Two flashlights were seen in a vacant home next door.
Detroit police responded.
Officer Brian Huff went to the door, a flashlight in hand and gun in its holster, and announced their presence. He kicked in the door and walked in, just a few steps.
Jason Gibson was waiting inside and armed, Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Trzcinski told a jury Wednesday.
"Officer Huff," he told jurors, "never had a chance."
Gibson is on trial in Wayne County Circuit Court for multiple charges, including first-degree murder, in Huff's slaying May 3 on the city's east side. He also faces four counts of assault with intent to murder for allegedly injuring four other officers during the attack, as well as weapons and drug charges.
His trial, which continues today, is expected to last a few weeks.
If convicted, Gibson faces life in prison.
Gibson's attorney, Susan Reed, made a brief opening statement Wednesday, telling the jury she didn't believe the prosecution's case would "convince you beyond a reasonable doubt."
In his opening statement, Trzcinski said that within seconds of entering the home, Huff was shot twice by .45-caliber bullets -- once through his jaw and once in the side of his head, severing his spine. Then, he said, Gibson ran out, shooting at officers outside, injuring four, before being apprehended and handcuffed to a fence.
Trzcinski called Huff's wife, Melissa Alexander-Huff, to testify and indentify a portrait of her husband.
Reed challenged the picture, saying using it would appeal to the sympathy of the jury. Trzcinski argued the photograph would be used to help other witnesses, who did not know Huff personally, identify him in relation to the scene.
Circuit Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway allowed it.
Officer Thomas Smith, an evidence technician, also testified to identify and explain photographs taken at the scene of the shooting. Only about 150 of the pictures were reviewed Wednesday.
There are more than 200 photos of the scene that show both the inside and outside of the home from multiple angles, as well as an array of evidence, including .45-caliber shell casings, bullet holes and bloodstains inside the house.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
