No guns found near victim, forensic officer tells Saint John murder trial

Zakkary Reed told police that Alexander Bishop pointed a gun at his face during an argument around the time Bishop was shot, according to a videotaped interview police did with Reed about 12 hours after the shooting. 

As he was leaving, Reed said he heard a gunshot and fled the scene in fear, thinking Bishop had shot at him.

But a forensics officer testified on Wednesday that investigators didn't find any firearms within reach of Bishop's body. 

Sgt. Matthew Weir said that officers had to dig under what he described as "debris piles" in order to find any guns — and most of the weapons were disassembled. 

Reed, 32, is on trial for first-degree murder in the Aug. 20, 2023, death of Bishop, who was shot once in the chest in an apartment at 170 King St. East. 

Weir testified that he and another forensics officer searched the cluttered apartment for weapons and that none were visible on first inspection and that it took a lot of time to find several firearms that were there. For example, they found a handgun inside a case, that was inside a plastic tote that was covered with clothing and other items. 

One of the disassembled shotguns was found in a corner packed with debris. 

In addition to weapons, Weir said he was looking in those piles for blood, but didn't find any. 

Last week, Reed's ex-girlfriend, Hanna Graham, testified that she saw Reed shoot Bishop once in the chest with a shotgun and that Bishop immediately fell to the floor and died on the spot. 

Weir also said he was present at Bishop's autopsy, where samples were collected from Bishop's hands for a gunshot residue test. The result of that test has not been presented at the trial. 

On Wednesday, jurors also heard from other Saint John police officers about the arrest of Reed less than four hours after the shooting. 

Reed was taken to police headquarters where his clothing and possessions were taken as evidence. 

Weir said they took DNA swabs of Reed's hands and from under his fingernails. They also took samples to be sent for gunshot residue analysis. The jury has not yet heard the results of those tests. 

Earlier on Wednesday, the jury watched the remainder of an interview lead investigator Det. Const. Duane Squires conducted with Reed. 

Over about three hours and 20 minutes in two separate interviews, Reed maintained that he did not shoot Bishop, although his story changed over time. 

Squires asked Reed several times whether he killed Bishop, and Reed always answered with a question or a comment, such as, "That's what you think." 

"Here's the thing," said Reed near the end of the first interview. "Whether or not I shot Bishop, it's not gonna matter the circumstances.

"All that the judge is going to see is that I either admitted to it or didn't admit to it."