Officers Testify Defendant Admitted Shooting Florida Abortion Doctor

Two police officers who were at the clinic where an abortion doctor was slain testified Tuesday that before they even knew anyone had been shot, the accused killer walked up and confessed.

Another witness testified that she saw the defendant, Michael F. Griffin, fire two of the fatal shots.

Griffin, a 32-year-old anti-abortion activist, is accused of shooting Dr. David Gunn three times in the back on March 10. Gunn, 47, of Eufaula, Ala., was shot behind the Pensacola Women’s Medical Services as he arrived for work while an anti-abortion demonstration was being held in front of the clinic.

Officer Bernd Jablonski testified he was inside the clinic after responding to a complaint about the demonstration and did not hear the shots. He said after he went outside and met Sgt. Kenneth Franks, who had just arrived, Griffin walked up to them.

“He looked at us and he said, ‘I just shot someone behind the building,’ ” Jablonski testified.

Franks testified he went to the back of the building, found Gunn was still alive and called for an ambulance. Gunn died later that day.

Jablonski said after Franks confirmed someone had been shot, he read Griffin his rights, told him he was under arrest and asked who he had shot.

Griffin replied, “David Gunn,” Jablonski said.

Earlier Tuesday, Della Lindsey testified that she saw Griffin shoot Gunn. “I heard three pops. The first pop got my attention and then I saw the man shooting,” she said.

She identified Griffin in court, but said that at the time of the shooting she was about 200 feet away and was unable to see who his target was.

Lindsey, who worked at a shop in the same commercial complex as the clinic, is expected to be the only prosecution witness claiming actually to have seen the gun being fired.