Dunn, a white man is accused of murdering a black teenager named Jordan Davis. He is presently on trial as a jury deliberates the case.
The lawyer representing the family of Jordan Davis recorded this video as he interviewed one of Dunn’s neighbors.
Video
As the 12 jurors decide the fate of Michael Dunn, an entire community is waiting for that decision.
First Coast News spoke to criminal defense attorney Mark O’Mara Thursday morning and he believes Michael Dunn will be found guilty.
“I don’t think the jury is going to be able to get past the fact that Dunn did not contact the police right away and that is going to bleed back over into whether or not he was justified in the shooting and they are going to find it was not justified,” said O’Mara.
As we enter day two of verdict watch, Mr. O’Mara said he doesn’t think the length of time a jury deliberates means the jurors are swaying one way or another. With a lot of evidence to go through plus complicated wording in the law, it could take time for the jurors to reach a verdict.
Security was also a big concern for Mr. O’Mara when he defended George Zimmerman. O’Mara believes if a not guilty verdict came back, there could be even more community outrage.
“If he is found not guilty then yes I think that there will be a backlash in the community about a not guilty verdict even more so in this case than the Zimmerman case. The facts of this case do not seem to support self defense near as much as the Zimmerman case did,” said Mr. O’Mara.
The trial of a Florida man accused of shooting a black teenager begins today in a case that has drawn similarities to the George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin case.
Michael Dunn, 47, is charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder after police said a November 2012 dispute with a group of teenagers outside of a Jacksonville convenience store turned deadly.
Dunn and his fiancée stopped at a convenience store on their way home from a wedding reception and pulled up next to a sport utility vehicle where Jordan Davis, 17, was sitting with friends, according to police.
Authorities said one of the teens complied when Dunn told them to turn down their music, however, Davis told him to turn down the volume again.
Dunn, who had a concealed weapons permit, then allegedly pulled out his handgun and fired several shots into the vehicle, fatally striking Davis in the back and groin.
Police said Dunn told them he feared for his life. Dunn’s attorney said he saw a gun and fired in self defense.
Jury selection for the trial began today.
The family of a teenager killed in 2012 after an argument with an older man over loud music at a Florida gas station has settled their civil suit against the shooter for an undisclosed sum.
The Florida Times Union reported Friday that defendant Michael Dunn, a 47-year-old software engineer accepted a civil settlement offer made by the family of Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old student from Marietta, Ga., who had been living in Jacksonville with family at the time he was killed.
Dunn’s criminal trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 3.
The case carries echoes of the Trayvon Martin affair: both victims were black teenagers shot by older white men claiming fear for their lives. In the Dunn case, however, the defendant appears to be preparing a formal Stand Your Ground legal defense, claiming that Davis and his friends had pointed a weapon at him before he opened fire. No weapon possessed by the teenagers has been recovered by police.
This incident happened in November 2012 when Jordan Davis and his friends were sitting in their car parked in a Jacksonville convenience-store parking lot. Davis was sitting in the back seat of the car and like many teenagers, they were listening to music being played over their car’s stereo.
Like George Zimmerman followed Trayvon Martin, a 46 year old white man named Michael Dunn went over to where the teens were parked and told the them to turn their music down. Of course, Mr. Dunn had the option of going about his business without paying any attention to the teens, but he chose to start an argument with the teens. He then took out his gun and shoot 10 rounds into the car, killing Jordan Davis.
Dunn claimed he heard threats coming from the car and saw a shotgun. He said he feared for his life and was only Standing His Ground. He was arrested and charged with first degree murder in Davis’ death, and faces three other counts of attempted first degree murder for shooting into the car.
Police did not find any guns in the victim’s car.
Dunn has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail in a Duval County, Florida, jail.
His trial is scheduled to begin on September 23.
