Del City police Capt. Randy Trent Harrison testified Friday that he shot 18-year-old Dane Scott Jr. because he feared for his life.

Harrison, 48, has been on trial this week on a first-degree manslaughter charge in the Oklahoma County courthouse.

Prosecutors said Scott did not have a gun when he was shot in the back and killed in southeast Oklahoma City on March 14, 2012. The shooting came after a police chase, a scuffle in which Scott was disarmed after allegedly pointing a gun at Harrison, and a footchase.

"He had just tried to shoot me in the face and kill me," Harrison told jurors.

"I thought he was going to turn around and shoot me," he testified.

Harrison also testified that he'd been pursuing Scott and other suspected drug dealers in the early stages of a concerted effort to clean up drugs in Del City.

He began spending half of his shifts out on patrol rather than in his normal supervisory duties in late 2011.

"Nobody else was doing it. Nobody else wanted to do it. Somebody had to stand up, and I was there," he said.

Harrison testified about his previous encounters with Scott and said that he had nothing personal against Scott and that he was simply doing his job.

"It's not specifically Dane Scott. It's the pattern of behavior ... I don't care who it was," Harrison testified.

"My job as a police officer is to stop crime and it's the activity that's the problem, not the individual," he told jurors.

Harrison also testified that Scott had threatened him and another officer during a prior encounter, but that it did not cause him to harbor a grudge.

"In 25 years, I've been called every name in the book. I know I'm going home at the end of the day and they're going to jail, so it's ridiculous to take it personal," he testified.

Only time to shoot

Harrison -- who is also a police firearms instructor and SWAT team commander -- said the shooting was the only time he had fired his weapon in the line of duty during his quarter-century career working for the Del City Police Department.

Harrison has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.

Harrison's testimony will continue Monday.

The judge told jurors to expect beginning their deliberations Monday.

Before Harrison's testimony, a pathologist testified on Friday that 18-year-old Dane Scott Jr. died from a gunshot to the back that did massive damage throughout his upper body.

Dr. Inas Yacoub told jurors that Scott was killed by a bullet that traveled from left to right and from back to front, which broke two ribs and damaged his lungs and aorta.

"It's an injury that people cannot survive," she testified.

The prosecution called a total of 13 witnesses before resting Friday afternoon. The defense has called three witnesses.

Harrison faces four years to life in prison if convicted.

Copyright 2013 - The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City

McClatchy-Tribune News Service