Eau Claire firefighter murder trial: Opening statement and first witnesses

Lasting about 15 minutes, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kate Arnold says this is a case about choices, specifically what she says was Gomez's choice to return to the Hometown Bar in the Village of Eau Claire just before 1 am on Nov. 2, after a verbal altercation inside, to find and shoot Medlin.

"After the argument was squashed, he chose to leave the bar, go home, get a gun, come back to the bar, looking for the victim, Chad Medlin," Arnold said in her opening statement.

Medlin was 36 and an Eau Claire firefighter when he was killed. He leaves behind three children, ages eight, 15, and 17. Arnold says Medlin suffered a "through-and-through" gunshot, with the bullet going through him and lodging in the forearm of a second victim.

The jury heard from nine witnesses on Thursday, including members of Medlin's family, the two bartenders working at the Hometown Bar and Grill the night of the shooting, and several witnesses at the bar that night. 

They explain their perspectives on the verbal altercation that took place at the bar that night. Medlin was apparently yelling at Gomez, telling him he wasn't welcome at the bar, calling him a "woman-abuser." Gomez remained seated and silent, but was apparently smirking. The altercation never got physical, but it was enough commotion for the two working bartenders to close down the bar for the night.

Gomez left out the front door. The prosecution argues that rather than staying away, he went home to get a gun and came back, looking for Medlin.

Here's one wtiness, a friend of Medlin's, testifying about the moment he claims he saw Gomez pull a gun on Medlin.

"That's when I knew it was serious because the gun was in my face, and I'm able to tell you there was a laser on the gun, 'cause the laser was in my face," Lorne Mitchell said on the stand. "Didn't think I was going to make it home that night."

Medlin was shot at 12:44 in the morning on Nov. 2, 2024. 

"And the defendant raises his hand with that gun, and he points the gun at Chad. And this gun had a laser on it, a green laser. Witnesses will testify that they saw this green laser, and they saw the green laser pointed at Chad," Arnold said in her opening statement.

The defense, choosing not to make an opening statement Thursday, instead reserving his time until it's his turn to make his case.

Gomez's defense attorney, Caleb Grimes, identifying and highlighting discrepancies in the witnesses' stories, between each other's stories and their own testimonies from today and at the February preliminary hearing.

For example, one witness initially told police she heard multiple gunshots, but Thursday, said she thinks she only heard one, explaining there could have been an echo.

Another witness was Leonardo Demarco, the second gunshot victim, who got a bullet lodged in his forearm that night.

The 9th witness was the one who called 911 after the shooting, which the prosecution played for the jury before recessing for the day. 

Trial resumes Friday at 8:30 am.