A jury will decide in the coming days the fate of the former president of the Fallon Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, who is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery with a deadly weapon.
About 19 months after the incident occurred, Kris Hansen's jury trial began this week with opening arguments. Deputy District Attorney Lane Mills said the evidence will show that on June 14, 2006, Hansen's black pickup barreled down Regan Place before ramming into a blue truck that William Christensen was standing behind. The impact, Mills said, knocked Christensen to the ground.
The deputy district attorney said Hansen slightly changed his story a few times when interviewed by police.
Hansen allegedly met up with A.J. Drake at Headquarters Bar, who told him he was shot at and wanted to get some revenge. Hansen allegedly then went to the residence.
An important question in the case will be whether several shots fired by Joseph Christensen were fired before or after Hansen drove his truck into the other truck.
Mills said Joseph Christensen picked up the gun and fired at Hansen's truck after his brother was knocked down, Mills said.
The Fallon Police Department recovered nine shell casings and discovered nine bullet holes in Hansen's truck.
Donald Cavin Hill, Hansen's attorney, said his client drove to 355 Regan Place to stop a fight planned by his friends.
Hill said William Christensen was crouched in the yard behind a parked truck firing a gun, and that Hansen was trying to protect himself when he rammed a vehicle that pushed the truck into Christensen.
"Let's get to the heart of the matter. My client has nine bullet holes in his truck, and he is being charged with (battery of a deadly weapon)," Hill told the jury. "He was there to break up a fight."
Hill said Hansen did not have a gun, knife or any other weapon.
Hansen's attorney said his client thought the only way he could stop William Christensen from shooting at him was to ram the vehicle the shooter was standing behind.
"My client did not go down there to ram a vehicle. My client is the one charged with battery of a deadly weapon."
Hill said the evidence will show Hansen should have never been arrested, charged or forced to hire an attorney to fight the charges.
A person in Hansen's truck, he said, will testify shots were fired before his client's truck collided with the second truck.
He admitted there will be four to five witnesses who will testify the shots occurred after the trucks collided.
Hansen's life, he added, has been turned inside out since the June 2006 incident.
His client was the assistant manger at Colonial Bank when the incident occurred.
"He got arrested, and that ended his career with the bank," he said. "He did not go down there to run anyone over."
"I intend to put on evidence that this pickup truck was not used as a deadly weapon," he added.
The trial is scheduled to last eight days.