A man was executed after being chased through hospital by a gunman, it was alleged to a jury.
But Carlos Russell – accused of murder – denied the execution allegation and said he had only fired when he felt he had no choice, when the man turned and reached into his waist.
In Grand Court, Russell of Carrington Lane, Pease Bay denied murdering Philip Watler last March.
Giving evidence on Tuesday, Russell said that the night before the shooting incident he was at home with his two rottweiler dogs, and his family, including his baby granddaughter.
He said he heard gun shots and the sound of bullets hitting the wall and he dived off his bed to the floor.
He told everyone to stay down and he crawled to the window.
Russell said he looked out and saw Philip Watler, armed with an assault rifle, and another man called Matio Dinall, armed with a handgun, standing on the porch and firing at the house.
The men turned and ran and he called the police, he said.
Russell told the court there were bullet holes all over the house after the incident and he felt angry at what had happened.
The next day he got hold of a gun and bullet proof vest and went to George Town Hospital because he wanted to talk to a man called Sheldon Brown – who was in the hospital – to see if the incident was his doing.
He said when he got to the hospital he saw Mr. Watler by the door and, with the events of the previous night replaying in his head, ‘everything turned red.’
He chased Mr. Watler into the hospital but did not fire at him, he told the court.
But he said when Mr. Watler turned and dipped his hand into his waist, he did fire two shots at him, because he felt he had been left with no choice.
Russell claimed he had heard the sound of two other guns shots being fired and he ended up running off, firing his gun into the air.
Russell said when he went to the hospital he had not expected to see Mr. Watler there.
He said he had not shot Mr. Watler while they were running because he wanted to stop him and make a citizen’s arrest.
He did not fire until he had no choice, he told the jury.
The case continues.
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