Another witness, a customer inside TGI Fridays is first on the stand this morning. His name is Shawn. None of the reporters here could catch a last name. It would be really helpful to us if the witnesses would spell out their names when they sit down. I think helpful to the jury as well, since many of them are taking down notes.
He says Jamal Woods was wearing a black shirt that said, "Who's the Boss?" He says this made Woods stand out when he came in.
We believe his name is Shawn Gatlin.
Larry Morgan, defense attorney, on cross-examination, began reading the same transcript from yesterday to Gatlin. It's a transcript of what was supposedly said between Jamal Woods and Tank Beavers. Morgan read it several times yesterday to witnesses to ask if they heard any of this exchange. The prosecution objected to this being read, because Gatlin said he heard no words that were exchanged. Judge Hamitlon sent the jury out, and then decided Morgan can continue to read this transcript.
Josh McCulley is on the stand now. He was on a first date on the night of the shooting at TGI Fridays. When the prosecutor asked McCully if he was still dating the girl, he responded, "Nooooooo!", and the courtroom filled with laughter. He said when he saw the shots fire, he got up and ran.
Shooting victim Tim Reliford is on the stand.
Reliford was a waiter at another restaurant at the time of the shooting. He had stopped by TGI Fridays after work.
He had ordered a beer, and was about to order dinner, when he was shot. Reliford was actually hit in the face, by the same bullet that killed Tank Beavers.
He said there was a lot of noise in the bar at the time of the shooting. He was sitting there. Took a sip of his beer. And turned to talk to a lady next to him and heard a pop and all of a sudden he saw a puff of smoke. His eyes water and the next thing he was was chair legs.
When he hit the floor, he says blood started filling his eyes and he felt a sting. He says his ears were ringing badly. He was shot on the left side of his face.
Reliford is showing his injuries to the jury.
Court is in recess.
Court is back in session. Tim Reliford is under cross-examination.
"Tory" Rogers is on the stand now. He was also a victim during the shootings.
Rogers says he heard Jamal Woods say, "What the F*ck are you doing talking to my wife?" He says Tank Beavers responded, "That is my MF cousin."
Rogers says he saw Thurston Turner on the floor, with blood coming out of his mouth. And he heard Tasha Lucas saying, "Tank is dead! Tank is dead!"
Rogers was shot in the back and eventually passed out.
He remembers thinking that he would not be alive to see his new baby born.
Rogers was in the hospital 31 days.
Court is in recess until 1:15
Court is back in session. Tory Rogers is still on the stand being cross-examined.
Roger's testimony contradicts other testimony as to where everyone was sitting in the restaurant during the shooting.
Ebonee Coffman is on the stand. She called police to tell them where Jamal Woods was hiding.
Harold Hutchison is now on the stand. He is a retired crime scene investigator for HPD. He worked the scene on December 17, 2006.
Hutchison says he found the body of Tank Beavers lying on the floor, with a pool of blood under his head. The three other victims had been taken to the hospital.
Sorry for the delay. We have been in a break in testimony. Harold Hutchison is still on the stand.
There is some sort of dispute about whether or not the jury should be allowed to see photos of the crime scene. The jury has been sent to the jury room while this is worked out.
We are still waiting. I am going to have to leave soon to go back to the station and get ready for WHNT NewsChannel 19 at Five.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Testimony, Day Two
Britani Ford, who went to eat at TGI Fridays the night of the shooting is now on the stand. She says Jamal Woods parked next to her in the parking lot.
Ford is being shown security camera video from the entrance area of the restaurant.
Ford was inside Fridays when the shooting took place. She says she froze when she heard the first shot. She then got under a table.
Gary Glass is now on the stand. He was in Huntsville on business on the day of the shooting. He and a co-worker were inside TGI Fridays during the shooting.
Glass says he heard the shots and heard people screaming. Says he was praying to God to save his life. He was on his stomach crawling and thought everyone was going to be shot. He helped some of the survivors after the shooting.
Glass says he heard Jamal Woods and his wife bickering before the shooting.
The Defense is trying to raise doubt in the jury's mind about how well Glass remembers what happened.
The defense continues to hammer Glass and his recollections of what happened that night.
After a long break, Will Moody has taken the stand. He is the co-worker of Gary Glass and was also in TGI Fridays during the shooting.
He says he noticed Jamal Woods and his wife fighting before the shooting. He says he saw Woods walk to the bar area of the restaurant and shoot. He then hit the floor and hid under the table.
Moody and Glass were sitting at a table directly next to Woods and his wife.
Defense Attorney Morgan is reading a transcript of what Woods and his wife supposedly were saying to each other and asking Moody if he could hear any of it.
Tasha Lucas who was with victim Tank Beavers is now on the stand. She is the second cousin of Beavers and the first cousin of Thurston Turner.
Lucas said Jamal yelled to his wife, "Is Tank your cousin?" Woods wife "lowered her head and said no." The shooting happened right after that.
I have to admit to being a little confused. Sometimes Jamal Woods is referred to having a wife during the shooting and sometimes she is referred to as his girlfriend.
Court is in recess until 1:15.
Tasha Lucas is back on the stand. She is being cross examined by Alan Mann.
Tasha Lucas says she knows guns. And recognized the gun Jamal Woods used as a 9mm. She says she shoots guns on New Year's Eve and on the Fourth of July.
She says she heard, "pow, pow, pow, pow!"
Tasha Lucas is still on the stand being cross-examined. Defense is questioning how well Lucas memory is of the events that happened two years ago. And whether statements to police contradict.
A TGI Fridays waiter, identified as only Adam, is on the stand. Says he heard a pop inside the restaurant and ducked down and then looked up. Heard the pop come from the bar. Saw someone shooting a gun. He then ran to the kitchen. Says he saw that the gun was a black 9mm.
He saw a car with a pinstripe leaving and heading east on Highway 72.
There doesn't seem to be any question that the witnesses saw what they saw. But the defense seems to be attempting get the witnesses to stumble on their words or have seem unsure about things like gun types.
Matt Phillips, a HEMSI paramedic is on the stand. Phillips is talking about efforts to save Thurston Turner from his gunshot wound to the back. He says Turner lost a pulse while lying on the floor of TGI Fridays. They started IVs and got his pulse back. Turner died nine days later at Huntsville Hospital.
Terrance Williams is now on the stand. He was with Tank Beavers and Thurston Turner on the night of the shooting. He says Woods walked up to the area where Tank Beavers was sitting. He says Woods asked his girlfriend if he knew Tank and when she said no, Woods said, "Homie, I don't play that," and then began shooting.
Judge Hamilton just made Larry Morgan stop asking Williams about a conversation between Woods and his wife, after Williams said he had not heard any of what they said.
Brent Fartesi, a witness inside TGI Fridays is on the stand. He is giving basically the same testimony the other witnesses have given throughout the day. Said he heard someone cry, "I can't believe he shot him."
I have left the courtroom to get ready for the WHNT NewsChannel 19 at Five.
Ford is being shown security camera video from the entrance area of the restaurant.
Ford was inside Fridays when the shooting took place. She says she froze when she heard the first shot. She then got under a table.
Gary Glass is now on the stand. He was in Huntsville on business on the day of the shooting. He and a co-worker were inside TGI Fridays during the shooting.
Glass says he heard the shots and heard people screaming. Says he was praying to God to save his life. He was on his stomach crawling and thought everyone was going to be shot. He helped some of the survivors after the shooting.
Glass says he heard Jamal Woods and his wife bickering before the shooting.
The Defense is trying to raise doubt in the jury's mind about how well Glass remembers what happened.
The defense continues to hammer Glass and his recollections of what happened that night.
After a long break, Will Moody has taken the stand. He is the co-worker of Gary Glass and was also in TGI Fridays during the shooting.
He says he noticed Jamal Woods and his wife fighting before the shooting. He says he saw Woods walk to the bar area of the restaurant and shoot. He then hit the floor and hid under the table.
Moody and Glass were sitting at a table directly next to Woods and his wife.
Defense Attorney Morgan is reading a transcript of what Woods and his wife supposedly were saying to each other and asking Moody if he could hear any of it.
Tasha Lucas who was with victim Tank Beavers is now on the stand. She is the second cousin of Beavers and the first cousin of Thurston Turner.
Lucas said Jamal yelled to his wife, "Is Tank your cousin?" Woods wife "lowered her head and said no." The shooting happened right after that.
I have to admit to being a little confused. Sometimes Jamal Woods is referred to having a wife during the shooting and sometimes she is referred to as his girlfriend.
Court is in recess until 1:15.
Tasha Lucas is back on the stand. She is being cross examined by Alan Mann.
Tasha Lucas says she knows guns. And recognized the gun Jamal Woods used as a 9mm. She says she shoots guns on New Year's Eve and on the Fourth of July.
She says she heard, "pow, pow, pow, pow!"
Tasha Lucas is still on the stand being cross-examined. Defense is questioning how well Lucas memory is of the events that happened two years ago. And whether statements to police contradict.
A TGI Fridays waiter, identified as only Adam, is on the stand. Says he heard a pop inside the restaurant and ducked down and then looked up. Heard the pop come from the bar. Saw someone shooting a gun. He then ran to the kitchen. Says he saw that the gun was a black 9mm.
He saw a car with a pinstripe leaving and heading east on Highway 72.
There doesn't seem to be any question that the witnesses saw what they saw. But the defense seems to be attempting get the witnesses to stumble on their words or have seem unsure about things like gun types.
Matt Phillips, a HEMSI paramedic is on the stand. Phillips is talking about efforts to save Thurston Turner from his gunshot wound to the back. He says Turner lost a pulse while lying on the floor of TGI Fridays. They started IVs and got his pulse back. Turner died nine days later at Huntsville Hospital.
Terrance Williams is now on the stand. He was with Tank Beavers and Thurston Turner on the night of the shooting. He says Woods walked up to the area where Tank Beavers was sitting. He says Woods asked his girlfriend if he knew Tank and when she said no, Woods said, "Homie, I don't play that," and then began shooting.
Judge Hamilton just made Larry Morgan stop asking Williams about a conversation between Woods and his wife, after Williams said he had not heard any of what they said.
Brent Fartesi, a witness inside TGI Fridays is on the stand. He is giving basically the same testimony the other witnesses have given throughout the day. Said he heard someone cry, "I can't believe he shot him."
I have left the courtroom to get ready for the WHNT NewsChannel 19 at Five.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Testimony, Day One
Testimony in the Jamal Woods trial is underway.
A jury was finally seated this morning. The jury is made up of 10 women and six men. There are four African American women on the jury. 12 members of this group will be the jury, the other four are alternates.
So far, two witnesses have taken the stand for the prosecution. Gerald Turner, who is a Huntsville Police Officer. He was the first officer on the scene to TGI Friday's on the night of the shooting in December of 2006. He gave the jury an account of what he did after arriving on the scene.
Witness number two, Melissa Bozeman, HEMSI paramedic. She is describing the wounds she found at the scene. She says Tank Beavers was a "Priority Zero," which means he was dead at the scene.
She also treated Thurston Turner at the restaurant, as well as Tim Reliford, who was shot in the face by the same bullet that killed Tank Beavers. Reliford was able to recover.
Warren Foy is on the stand now. He also worked for Hemsi in December of 2006 and responded to TGI Fridays.
We are currently in a recess that has lasted 30 minutes while we wait on another witness.
Gordon Bigelow. He is the Genergal Manager at a TFI Fridays in Tennessee. He was the GM at the TGI Fridays in Huntsville on the day of the shooting. He was not at the store when the shooting happened, but he helped HPD get the store's video recordings of the shootings.
HPD investigator David Owens in now on the stand. He viewed the restaurant's video of the shooting. He is also the chief investigator of the shooting.
Owens is still be cross examined by the defense. From the questons the defense is asking, it seems they are trying to make the jury believe the videos have been altered in some way.
Lisa Hamilton is now on the stand. She is an investigator for HPD.
A jury was finally seated this morning. The jury is made up of 10 women and six men. There are four African American women on the jury. 12 members of this group will be the jury, the other four are alternates.
So far, two witnesses have taken the stand for the prosecution. Gerald Turner, who is a Huntsville Police Officer. He was the first officer on the scene to TGI Friday's on the night of the shooting in December of 2006. He gave the jury an account of what he did after arriving on the scene.
Witness number two, Melissa Bozeman, HEMSI paramedic. She is describing the wounds she found at the scene. She says Tank Beavers was a "Priority Zero," which means he was dead at the scene.
She also treated Thurston Turner at the restaurant, as well as Tim Reliford, who was shot in the face by the same bullet that killed Tank Beavers. Reliford was able to recover.
Warren Foy is on the stand now. He also worked for Hemsi in December of 2006 and responded to TGI Fridays.
We are currently in a recess that has lasted 30 minutes while we wait on another witness.
Gordon Bigelow. He is the Genergal Manager at a TFI Fridays in Tennessee. He was the GM at the TGI Fridays in Huntsville on the day of the shooting. He was not at the store when the shooting happened, but he helped HPD get the store's video recordings of the shootings.
HPD investigator David Owens in now on the stand. He viewed the restaurant's video of the shooting. He is also the chief investigator of the shooting.
Owens is still be cross examined by the defense. From the questons the defense is asking, it seems they are trying to make the jury believe the videos have been altered in some way.
Lisa Hamilton is now on the stand. She is an investigator for HPD.
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