JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After hours of Michael Dunn's testimony in court on Thursday, Channel 4 went to the scene on the corner of Southside Boulevard and Baymeadows Road to re-trace what Dunn said happened the night Jordan Davis was killed.
Dunn and the teens were parked next to each other in the parking lot of Gate gas station on the corner of Southside Boulevard and Baymeadows Road on Black Friday 2012. In court Tuesday, Dunn went through his story about why he shot Jordan Davis that night.
"I put my window down, turned to my left and asked them to turn the music down please. (The) SUV was right next to me on the left," said Dunn.
Dunn told the court that the car was blaring it's music, then an argument escalated.
"When the 'f*** this' and the 'f*** that,' there were no music playing, now there was bass, his voice was elevating, yelling so loud it was over the bass," testified Dunn. "After hearing everything I hear, ‘I should kill that mother f***,' I was flabbergasted. I thought I might be hearing something. I'm trying to thinking about the day we had, St. Augustine tomorrow. More elevated voice, ‘I could f*** kill that mother f***.'"
Dunn claimed that one of the teens in the back of the SUV was threatening him with what he described as "the barrel of a shotgun." Dunn said after repeated efforts to deescalate the situation, he finally felt compelled to pull his own gun. Dunn said as he started shooting, the teens pulled out and sped in their SUV to the other side of the gas station. As they fled, Dunn said he fired more shots toward the back of the SUV.
"Yes, in my panic mind, I shot three times," said Dunn. "I was worried about the blind firing situation, hitting me or Rhonda."
The teens parked very briefly on the other side of the gas station. Defense lawyers questioned the teens about why they moved the SUV and why two of the teens inside the SUV got out of the vehicle briefly.
Defense lawyers asked whether the teens got rid of a weapon when they got out of the SUV. During the investigation, police never found a weapon.
After the teens came back into the parking lot, they pulled closer to the gas pumps. Police arrived, but Dunn took his fiancé, Rhonda Rouer, and went back to their hotel. Dunn said they ordered a pizza and had a drink, all to try to calm themselves down.
"Yes, I was trying to calm down, we were both so upset, hands were shaking, body was shaking," said Dunn.
Dunn also told the court Tuesday that he did not know anyone had been hurt. Dunn said he thought he scared the teens off and added that he was worried the group was still following him as he left the gas station parking lot.
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The next morning, Michael Dunn is sworn as the defense's only witness.Dunn said he thought he saw the barrel of a shotgun in the SUV parked next to him at a Gate convenience store pointed at him, and that he feared for his life before retrieving his 9mm handgun from the glove compartment and firing.Dunn said he and his fiance went to the convenience store after the wedding for wine and chips. He said he pulled into a spot next to an SUV where music with a "thumping" bass was playing.Dunn said he asked the three men in the SUV to turn down the music and they turned off the music. "I said, 'Thank you,'" Dunn said. But soon afterward, Dunn said he heard someone in the SUV shouting expletives at him and the word "cracker."Michael Dunn testified that when one of the teens stepped out of the SUV and he felt "this was a clear and present danger."He reached for his pistol in a glove box. Dunn, who had a concealed weapons permit, fired 10 shots,nine of them hitting the SUV. Three of those bullets hit Jordan Davis, killing him.Dunn claimed Jordan Davis was outside the car and the back door of the SUV was open when he pulled his pistol, and the teenager was ducking into the back seat when he pulled the trigger.Defense attorney Cory Strolla guided Dunn through the events of that night and the next day, when described Dunn placed a call to a friend who was a federal law enforcement officer to get advice about how to turn himself in.During cross examination, prosecutor John Guy pointed out inconsistencies between his testimony and his statement to police the day after the shooting."You never told the love of your life that those guys had a gun, did you?"When the prosecutor suggested that Dunn was angry because he was being disrespected by a young black man. Dunn responded, "I was being threatened, not disrespected."Dunn's father watched as his son testified. He has been in the courtroom every day of the trial.Also in the courtroom every day of the trial have been Jordan Davis' parents.When Dunn finished his testimony, the defense rested its case. Then the lawyers discussed the state's rebuttal evidence and witnesses.Recalled as a rebuttal witness, Dunn's fiance, Rhonda Rouer, testified that he did not mention to her that he saw a gun in the teenagers' SUV that night or on the ride back to Brevard County. He only mentioned it after getting a phone call from a friend.Also recalled to the stand was JSO's lead homicide detective on this case, Marc Musser.Also part of the state's rebuttal evidence was a portion of a video recording of Dunn's interview at the Brevard County Sheriff's Office the day after Davis' shooting death."I was in fear for my life. I've never been so scared in my life," Dunn told detectives.At the end of the day, Judge Healey told the lawyers he is hoping to have closing arguments the next morning, then there will be extensive jury instructions before they begin deliberations.
The next morning, Michael Dunn is sworn as the defense's only witness.
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