Day two of the Michael Dunn retrial is underway, but prosecutors hit the ground running on Thursday, calling 10 witnesses to the stand to testify about their experience before and after the shooting of Florida teen Jordan Davis.
Davis, if you recall, was shot and killed by Dunn in November 2012, after the two got into a verbal altercation about the volume of Davis’ music. The 47-year-old is standing trial again for the death of Davis after a February mistrial. He was, however, convicted for the attempted murders of three of Davis’ friends.
The 17-year-old was sitting in a Dodge Durango, parked at the Southside Gate gas station in Jacksonville. Dunn parked next to the SUV holding Davis and his three friends. Dunn asked the teens to turn down the music. They did, but later turned the volume up. Words were exchanged. Dunn maintains that Davis threatened him, showed him a gun, and got out to kill him. That’s when Dunn pulled out his firearm, shooting the red SUV multiple times and hitting Davis with three of those bullets.
Investigators never recovered a gun.
During opening statements, Assistant State Attorney John Guy reiterated that Davis was just a kid.
From Jacksonville:
Guy stressed that Davis was in his car, unarmed and leaning away from Dunn when shot.
“The only thing Jordan Davis had in his hand when he was killed was a cellphone,” Guy said.
When it was over, Dunn “got back into his car and drove off into the night,” Guy said, adding he made no attempt to call police or 911 that night or the next day.
Dunn’s defense attorney, Waffa Hanania, told the court a different story, calling the 17-year-old an “angry man.”
“…Hanania said Dunn was confronted by an angry man yelling profanities at him, and he was scared for his life. A “survival instinct” took over.
Hanania said he merely sought common courtesy when he asked for the music to be turned down, and Dunn never raised his voice or used racial slurs or profanity.
Davis responded by cursing and threatening Dunn’s life, Hanania said.
“If not for Davis’ actions after the music was turned down, we would not be here today,” she said.
Davis brandished a shotgun or something that looked like a gun, Hanania said.
Unlike Dunn’s attorney in his first trial, Hanania did not suggest the teenagers had a weapon and hid it later.
The prosecution called numerous witnesses to the stand during the first day of trial, including employees from the Gate gas station and first responders to the scene. One employee from the gas station testified he heard Dunn yell, “You’re not going to talk to me that way,” before he pulled the trigger.
The most vivid testimony came from sheriff’s officer Robert Holmes, who testified that he saw Davis in the back of the Durango being held by a friend who was sobbing uncontrollably after the shooting.
Holmes got Davis out of the Durango and checked for a pulse. There was none.
Davis’ father, Ron Davis, wiped away a tear during this testimony.
Holmes said he took the three others in the vehicle with Davis to the downtown police station. They seemed to be in shock.
On Friday, the prosecution is expected to call Leland Brunson, Tommie Stornes, and Tevin Thompson to the stand. The three were with Davis on the night of his death.
We’ll keep you updated with the latest in Dunn’s retrial. For updates from the courtroom, watch the livestream above.
SOURCE: Jacksonville | VIDEO SOURCE: News Inc.
