(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Opening statements began on Tuesday, May 7 for the trial of Devon Bobian, the suspect facing a Second-Degree Murder charge in the death of fallen Fountain Police Department (FPD) K9 Officer Julian Becerra.

On Feb. 2, 2023, three suspects in a stolen vehicle were pursued by FPD officers, including Officer Becerra. The suspects were stopped after a high-speed chase on a bridge near Highway 85-87 and South Academy Boulevard.

After the vehicle was stopped and while attempting to apprehend Bobian, Officer Becerra fell 40 feet from the bridge and later died of his injuries in the hospital on Feb. 11, 2023.

During opening statements on Tuesday, prosecutors alleged that Bobian’s actions led to Officer Becerra’s fall from the bridge and recounted the events leading up to the incident.

Bobian’s defense said Officer Becerra’s death was a tragedy but ultimately an accident and that Bobian was just trying to get away from a chaotic scene on the bridge.

According to FPD, Officer Becerra had been with the department for four and a half years and was assigned to the Patrol Division as a K9 Officer.