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Jurors Fire Handgun Used To Shoot Minn. Deputy

CROOKSTON, Minn. (AP) -- Jurors have "dry-fired" the handgun used in the fatal shooting of a Mahnomen County sheriff's deputy.

Each of the 15 jurors filed out of the jury box Tuesday, took the empty 9 mm semi-automatic and fired it six times into a "bullet-trap." The courtroom demonstration took place under the direction of a firearms expert for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's Bemidji office.

Thomas Fairbanks is accused of first-degree murder in the death of Deputy Chris Dewey. Dewey was shot in the head and abdomen in February 2009 and died 18 months later.

The defense is aiming to show that the handgun's trigger could be so easily pulled that Fairbanks accidentally fired the handgun at times that day.

The Grand Forks Herald reports both sides agreed to the demonstration.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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