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Photo by Liam Richards / Saskatoon StarPhoenix

John Ervin, a firearms expert called by the defence, said the bulge on the casing was caused by the bullet firing when the gun was not in battery. In other words, the cartridge was not properly seated in the chamber when it detonated.

Ervin said that, in order for a bulge like the one on the casing to have formed, the gun would have to have been out of alignment to a point where it could not have fired.

“I simply don’t know what caused that firearm to discharge,” he said.

Ervin said one possibility is a hang fire. He said that while these are rare, they are more common with older ammunition.

“There’s not enough evidence to say there was a hang fire, nor is there enough evidence to say there was not a hang fire,” Ervin said.

Photo by Liam Richards / Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Spencer asked Ervin what the longest possible hang fire could be. Ervin said it was impossible to know. He said that in firearm courses, if people pull the trigger and don’t hear a bang they are instructed to keep holding their guns downrange for 30 to 60 seconds.

Court has heard this week that Boushie was one of five people who got into a grey SUV on Aug. 9, 2016 and drove onto Stanley’s farm. At least one person in the SUV got out of the vehicle and hopped onto one of Stanley’s quads. Stanley and his son ran toward the SUV and Sheldon Stanley hit the windshield of the SUV with a hammer. The SUV attempted to leave the yard and collided with a parked vehicle. Two people from the SUV then ran away.

Boushie, who had been drinking that day, was asleep in the SUV. An autopsy report revealed his blood-alcohol level exceeded 300 milligrams per cent, which commonly results in symptoms including “decreased level of consciousness” and “diminished reflexes,” according to a toxicology report entered as an exhibit in court.