As the prosecution rested its case in the trial of Michael Dunn, accused of murdering 17-year-old Jordan Davis at a Florida gas station in November 2012, the state presented witnesses to bolster its case that Dunn’s actions were premeditated.
In addition, though Dunn has claimed that Davis had threatened him, medical examiner Stacey Simons testified that the entry point and path of the bullet that killed Davis made it unlikely the youth was standing outside the SUV when he was shot.
Davis likely died moments after the shooting and, according to a toxicology expert, had no signs of drugs or alcohol in his body.
Last Friday the three teens who were in the SUV with Davis— Tevin Thompson, Leland Brunson and Tommie Stornes—told jurors that Davis didn’t threaten Dunn, didn’t brandish a weapon, and didn’t exit the vehicle before Dunn shot him to death during the parking-lot dispute over loud rap music.
Dunn is facing charges of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder after he fired several shots into the SUV that contained Davis and his three friends.
The altercation started when Dunn asked the group of boys to turn down their music at the gas station. Dunn alleges that a verbal altercation led to death threats and a shot gun was pointed at him.
Police who responded to the incident found no weapon inside the car.
Dunn insisted that he was afraid for his life and that’s why he shot Davis, who was sitting in the back seat of the SUV.
Stornes, now 20, said Davis and his friends had been “girl shopping” at St. Johns Town Center mall before stopping at the gas station in the Durango, which was equipped with an amplifier and two 12-inch speakers.
Thompson, 18, testified that after Dunn parked his Volkswagen Jetta close to the SUV, he said, “Turn your music down. I can’t hear myself think.”
Though Thompson turned down the volume, Davis said, “(Expletive) that. Turn the music back up.”
So Thompson did.
After the verbal exchange continued, Davis told Dunn, “(Expletive) you.”
Dunn then asked Davis, “Are you talking to me?” before reaching for a gun and firing at Davis’ door.
Brunson, 18, a backseat passenger, said he tried to pull Davis down to take cover and when he called Davis’ name and he didn’t respond, he checked his body to see if he had been shot.
“When I reached and touched him, blood appeared on my fingers,” Brunson said.
In her testimony, Rhonda Rouer, Dunn’s fiancee, said she and Dunn had been drinking at the Thanksgiving weekend wedding of Dunn’s son. She said Dunn had several rum and cokes.
When they pulled into the gas station and heard the music, Dunn told her, “I hate that thug music,” before she entered the gas station to buy wine and potato chips. She said she heard a series of popping noises, and saw Dunn put a weapon back in the glove box when she returned to the car.
After the couple left the scene of the shooting and returned to their hotel, Dunn ordered pizza and they had more rum and cokes, Rouer said.
The racially mixed jury is made up of 10 women and six men, who are being sequestered for the duration of the trial.
