Marquinn Jones-Nelson, charged with the murder of Devante Jordan at a Mountain View apartment in 2011, took the witness stand to say the shooting was in self-defense Wednesday.
During cross-examination, Jones-Nelson was asked to use a toy gun to show jurors exactly how he fired the fatal shots that killed Jordan. Jones-Nelson was standing less than five feet from the jurors, and the snap of fake gunshots could be heard as he pulled the toy's trigger.
Jones-Nelson said he saw Jordan approach him in a threatening manner, with a gun on his hip.
"I started shooting because I seen his gun," Jones-Nelson testified, prompting defense attorney Jon-Marc Petersen to ask what happened next.
"I don't know; everything happens so fast," Jones-Nelson testified. "I can't really -- I was scared. Everything just happened so fast. I know he dropped his gun after like -- I'm not sure how many shot rounds -- but I kept shooting."
The prosecution said Jones-Nelson had motive, playing audio recordings of him calling Jordan a snitch for allegedly speaking with police about the fatal 2009 shooting of 17-year-old Desirae Douglas -- a crime in which Jordan, among others, was a suspect. The prosecution also referenced a previous interview with police where Jones-Nelson never said he was scared for his life.
"If you had a gun with more shots in it, would have you fired more shots?" asked prosecutor James Fayette.
"Yes, that's how scared I was, yes," Jones-Nelson answered.
Jones-Nelson spent three hours Wednesday being cross-examined by the prosecution. He will undergo more cross-examination Thursday, before defense questioning continues.
Contact Mallory Peebles