White man shoots at black teenager for playing loud music, rekindles racism debate
17 Feb 2014 6:49 AM IST
Jurors convicted Michael Dunn, 47, on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for firing at a vehicle carrying four black teenagers in November 2012.
One of the teens, Jordan Davis, 17, was killed when he was struck by three of Dunn’s bullets.
Duval County Judge Russell Healey declared a mistrial on the most serious charge, first degree or premeditated murder, for Davis’s death, though Dunn was found guilty on one count of firing a deadly weapon.
The racially mixed 12-person jury could not agree on whether Dunn acted in self defense or deliberately attempted to kill the black teenager.
In testimony Dunn said that he approached the teens, who were in a sports utility vehicle in a gas station parking lot, and asked them to turn down what he described as their loud ‘thug music.’ The teens refused, and cursed him.
Dunn said that he feared for his life when one of the teenagers started to get out of the car and come toward him. Dunn pulled a pistol out of his glove box and opened fire.
The software engineer testified that he kept firing as the car drove away, saying he was afraid that he or his fiancee, who had rushed out of the gas station shop when she heard the shots, might get hit by returning fire.
Police found no evidence of a gun in the teens’ vehicle, and the three surviving teenagers testified that they never threatened Dunn.
Dunn said that he only learned that he had shot and killed Davis after seeing a news alert on his phone once he got back to his hotel.
Dunn, who fired 10 times at the car, faces a hefty jail term of at least 60 years. Sentencing is scheduled for March.
One of the teens, Jordan Davis, 17, was killed when he was struck by three of Dunn’s bullets.
Duval County Judge Russell Healey declared a mistrial on the most serious charge, first degree or premeditated murder, for Davis’s death, though Dunn was found guilty on one count of firing a deadly weapon.
The racially mixed 12-person jury could not agree on whether Dunn acted in self defense or deliberately attempted to kill the black teenager.
In testimony Dunn said that he approached the teens, who were in a sports utility vehicle in a gas station parking lot, and asked them to turn down what he described as their loud ‘thug music.’ The teens refused, and cursed him.
Dunn said that he feared for his life when one of the teenagers started to get out of the car and come toward him. Dunn pulled a pistol out of his glove box and opened fire.
The software engineer testified that he kept firing as the car drove away, saying he was afraid that he or his fiancee, who had rushed out of the gas station shop when she heard the shots, might get hit by returning fire.
Police found no evidence of a gun in the teens’ vehicle, and the three surviving teenagers testified that they never threatened Dunn.
Dunn said that he only learned that he had shot and killed Davis after seeing a news alert on his phone once he got back to his hotel.
Dunn, who fired 10 times at the car, faces a hefty jail term of at least 60 years. Sentencing is scheduled for March.
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