Witness testifies of gun in slaying of N.H. officer

MANCHESTER, N.H. - A Manchester woman testified yesterday that she saw Michael Addison stick a gun in his waistband and leave with a friend moments before Officer Michael Briggs was killed two years ago.

On cross-examination, Addison's lawyers cast doubt on whether Kellyann Grady had seen him leave with the gun.

The testimony came at the start of the second week of Addison's capital murder trial in Hillsborough County Superior Court. Lawyers for Addison, 28, admit he fired the shot that killed Briggs, but say it happened quickly and was not premeditated.

Grady, 29, testified that she had been dating Addison's friend, Antoine Bell-Rogers, for about two weeks when he and Addison showed up at her house around 2 a.m. the night of the shooting. Grady lived on Central Street, a block from where Briggs was shot.

Grady said Bell-Rogers appeared upset and out of breath when he arrived. Addison was talking on his phone and then headed into the bathroom. She said he came out and handed Bell-Rogers the gun dismantled into three pieces. Bell-Rogers handed it to Grady, and she hid it in a drawer, she said.

Grady said she recognized the gun as Bell-Rogers's and had hidden it in her house before.

After about 45 minutes, Bell-Rogers said the men were going to a friend's house, Grady testified.

On cross-examination, defense lawyer Caroline Smith questioned whether Grady saw Addison with the gun.

"Do you recall in some [statements to police] that you assumed [Addison] put the gun in his pants because you didn't see it?" Smith asked.

Grady testified that she was questioned again not long after the shooting and told police she saw Addison put the gun in his pants.

She said yesterday that is how she remembers it now.