Man shot by Brown Deer officer testifies at her trial; "I thought I was gonna get killed"

MILWAUKEE -- The man who was shot by Devon Kraemer took the stand in the trial of the Brown Deer police officer Friday, Feb. 16. Day five of the trial featured a number of questions that revolved around Manuel Burnley's size.

Manuel Burnley

"When's the last time you tried to do a push-up?" asked prosecutor, James Griffin. "I have no idea. High school?" Burnley replied. Burnley answered a series of questions about his fitness level Friday afternoon. The line of questioning from Griffin portrays Burnley as a man who weighs 370 pounds but was not especially threatening on March 14, 2016. That is the day Burnley was shot by Kraemer, who is charged with aggravated battery over the shooting.

Earlier in the day, jurors heard more from Kraemer's fellow officer, Michael Leeman. He expressed the fear he said he felt that day during questioning from Kraemer's lawyer, Michael Steinle.

Devon Kraemer

LEEMAN: I told Devon, ‘thank you for saving my life that night.’ STEINLE: And those were your words? LEEMAN: Yes, sir. The two struggled to arrest Burnley as he refused to get off a bus after causing a commotion. Kraemer shot Burnley in the back while he was on his stomach, saying she became fearful after losing sight of his arm. Special rules for this trial issued by Judge T. Christopher Dee state media cameras cannot record the faces of witnesses. That is why you're not able to see video of the people testifying. Next on the stand was the sergeant who talked to Kraemer after the shooting. "When I first got in the ambulance, I mean, she was visibly shaken, she was crying and I think the first thing she may have said, she made reference to how big the subject was," said Sgt. Michael Carver of the Brown Deer Police Department.

Devon Kraemer

When Burnley took the stand, he too said he was scared.

"At the time, I thought I was gonna get killed," Burnley testified. Burnley said he remembers little after going to the ground. "I heard, 'We're gonna have to tase him,' and then I heard 'Pow!'" Burnley told the court. Burnley will still be on the stand on Monday when the trial resumes. He still has to go under cross-examination from Kraemer's lawyers.