The shooting of 17-year-old high school student Jordan Davis occurred on Friday, November 23, 2012, at a Gate gas station in Jacksonville, Florida, United States by Michael David Dunn, a 47-year-old software developer, following an argument over the loud music played by Davis and his three friends. Dunn was convicted on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for firing at three other teenagers who were with Davis and one count of firing into a vehicle. The jury could not reach a verdict about whether to convict Dunn for the murder of Jordan Davis at the first trial. In a second trial, Dunn was found guilty of the first degree murder of Jordan Davis.
Video Shooting of Jordan Davis
The shooting
The shooting of Jordan Davis took place in Jacksonville in Duval County. Around 7:30 p.m., four teenage boys (Leland Brunson, Jordan Davis, Tommie Stornes, and Tevin Thompson) stopped at a Gate gas station. Stornes left the car running while he went into the store. Brunson, Davis and Thompson remained in the vehicle listening to music which was described as "very loud." Michael Dunn and his girlfriend Rhonda Rouer pulled into the adjacent parking spot; Dunn was in the city for his son's wedding. Rouer left the car to purchase white wine and chips. She testified that Dunn told her, "I hate that thug music" before she left the car for the store, although Dunn claims he used the phrase "rap crap."
The bass from loud hip-hop music ("Beef" by Fredo Santana) playing in the teens' SUV annoyed Dunn, who ordered it to be turned down. The front seat passenger, Tevin Thompson, initially complied, but Jordan Davis requested the music to be turned back up.
Argument continued and an independent witness overheard Dunn say, "You aren't going to talk to me like that." Dunn, who had a concealed weapons permit, took a handgun out of his glove compartment and started firing at Davis' door, hitting him in the legs, lungs, and aorta. As the SUV backed up to evade his gunshots, Dunn opened his own door and continued firing at the car in shooter's stance, later testifying that he still feared for his safety as well as that of Rouer, who was to return to the vehicle imminently.
After the shooting, Stornes drove the SUV away to a nearby parking lot and stopped to find Davis "gasping for air". Rouer returned to Dunn's car and they went back to their hotel where they ordered pizza. Dunn did not contact the police. The next morning, Rouer saw a report about the shooting on the news, indicating that Jordan Davis had died. On the drive home, Dunn testified, he called a neighbor who works in law enforcement to arrange to speak to him about the shooting, but phone records indicate that the neighbor actually called him, and Rouer testified that the shooting was never mentioned during the call. Dunn returned to his home in Satellite Beach the following day at 10:30 a.m., where he was arrested after an eyewitness reported his license plate to police.
After arrest, Dunn claimed Davis threatened him with a "gun or a stick." Dunn's girlfriend said no such item was mentioned to her at any point. Investigators later searched the boy's SUV and found no weapons. Dunn's attorney claimed that detectives did not search the area for a weapon for several days after the shooting and that the teens had "ample time to get rid of a firearm or pipe." Davis' friends testified that he could not have opened his door because the child lock was set. Contrary to Dunn's claim that he mentioned the shotgun to Rouer several times, she testified that he never mentioned a gun either that night or the next day.
Maps Shooting of Jordan Davis
Legal proceedings
Shortly after Davis' death, his parents, Ron Davis and Lucy McBath, and some of the other vehicle occupants, filed civil complaints against Dunn. They were represented by John Michael Phillips in wrongful death and defamation lawsuits against Dunn. The cases were settled for an undisclosed amount in January 2014. Dunn's insurance company, Progressive Select Insurance, challenged its duty to cover the lawsuit, but dismissed its lawsuit in conjunction with the settlement. In his criminal trial, Dunn had been declared broke.
In closing arguments at the first trial, the defense lawyer for Michael Dunn cited the language of Florida's stand-your-ground law. On February 15, 2014, after more than thirty hours of deliberation, the jury found Dunn guilty on the three counts of attempted murder. The jury could not reach an agreement on the charge of first-degree murder, and the judge declared a mistrial on that count. Florida state attorney Angela Corey stated that her office would seek a retrial for this charge. Dunn's attorney subsequently requested that sentencing on the four counts of which Dunn already had been convicted be delayed until after Dunn's retrial. Dunn faced up to 75 years in prison on these counts: up to 20 years for each count of attempted second-degree murder, and up to 15 years for firing into a vehicle.
Jury selection in Dunn's retrial began on September 22, 2014, and opening statements took place on September 25. Dunn was found guilty on October 1, 2014, at the conclusion of the retrial. Dunn was given a sentence of life in prison without parole plus 90 years.
Following the trial, Dunn's attorney filed for appeal with the First District Court of Appeal for the State of Florida. On November 17, 2016, his appeal was denied.
Reactions
Michael Dunn's former neighbor, Charles Hendrix, said he was not surprised by Dunn's behavior. Hendrix commented on Dunn, whom he described as arrogant and controlling, adding that Dunn's ex-wives told him that Dunn was violent and abusive toward them, although he never personally witnessed this. Hendrix spoke of a previous discussion where Dunn asked him if he knew anyone who would "take care of" someone who infuriated him in an unrelated incident, and Hendrix interpreted further discussion as Dunn wanting to send a hit on this person.
Davis' father Ron Davis said, "I'm in constant contact with Tracy Martin, Trayvon's father, and I text Sybrina [Trayvon's mother] all the time and I just want to let them know, every time I get justice for Jordan, it's going to be justice for Trayvon, for us." He said he wanted to confront Michael Dunn in jail about his son's murder.
Rebecca Dunn, Michael Dunn's daughter, defended her father's story, by her statement during an interview, "He is going to protect himself if he sees no other way than to bring out his gun, then that's what he's going to do." She described Dunn as "a good man. He's not a racist. He's very loving."
Documentaries
In January 2015, the documentary 3 ½ Minutes, 10 Bullets (originally titled 3 ½ Minutes) premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 24. The documentary is about the shooting, the trial and Florida's Stand Your Ground laws and was directed by Marc Silver. The documentary won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The film distribution was sold to HBO.
The documentary film The Armor of Light, also features the story of Jordan Davis. Disney heir Abigail Disney made her directorial debut with The Armor of Light, which followed a pro-life Evangelical minister Rev. Rob Schenck, Lucy McBath, the mother of teenager Jordan Davis, and attorney John Michael Phillips as they interact in the years post shooting. It debates question: is it possible to be both pro-gun and pro-life? The Armor of Light premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2015 before opening theatrically on October 30, 2015. In 2017, it was nominated and won an Emmy Award.
See also
- Crime in Florida
- Attorney John Michael Phillips
- Mothers of the Movement
References
External links
- Arrest and Booking Report of Incident, michaeldunntrial.com; archived from the original February 15, 2014.
- The Jordan Davis Foundation
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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