RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — During the second day of the trial for the man accused of killing 18-year-old Shawn Jackson after high school graduation ceremony, jurors heard from 11 witnesses, who painted a clearer picture of the events of the shooting — as well as the moments after.
The defendant in the case, 20-year-old Amari Pollard, is facing first-degree murder charges for the death of Jackson. Pollard is not facing charges for the death of the other victim, 36-year-old Renzo Smith, or for the five other people who were shot on the night of Tuesday, June 6, 2023.
The first person to take the stand was Temeeka Jackson-Smith, the mother of Jackson and wife of Smith. She said she saw Pollard, who she also said was a childhood friend of Jackson’s, shoot Jackson six times from behind in Monroe Park outside of the Altria Theater, where Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremony had just finished.
Another key witness was a friend of Jackson’s, who said that Pollard flashed a gun before shooting Jackson. The friend also revealed that he shot at Pollard several times after he saw Jackson fall to the ground.
Jurors also heard from Jackson’s sister, who said that she saw altercation between her brother and another graduate before the shooting took place.
The defense, whose argument centers around the claim that the shooting took place in self-defense, did not call any witnesses to the stand Tuesday — but more was revealed as they cross-examined the witnesses called by the prosecution.
A pivotal moment for the defense was when officers’ body camera footage was shown in the courtroom. The video showed Pollard hugging an officer immediately following the shooting. Interacting with a few officers who took the stand Tuesday, Pollard was captured on camera crying out things like “I thought they were going to kill me” and “someone protect me.”
One officer testified that, when Pollard approached her in a parking garage near where the shooting happened, Pollard tossed down his gun and appeared frantic and distraught. He then ran into her arms.
The officer said she believed Pollard was in fear for his own life, so she told him to duck behind a nearby car, which he did. A second officer joined and tried to detain Pollard, the officers were aware the defendant had a role in the shooting and he cried out that he would turn himself in, but that he needed someone to “protect him.”
During cross-examination, the defense emphasized that, prior to the altercation, Smith retrieved his and his wife’s guns from their car. Jackson’s mother said that Smith did not bring any weapons into the theater and that he did not go to the car solely to retrieve the weapons, but rather that he went to smoke and ended up bringing the weapons back with him.
The defense made it clear that they wanted the jury to know Smith had at least one firearm on him and that Pollard had reason to be scared of Jackson and his friends. Another key moment for the defense was when Jackson’s friend admitted to threatening Pollard in the past — defense attorneys clarified that the boy had told Pollard he was “going to make his mother cry.”
Proceedings will resume early Wednesday morning — starting with a viewing of around 90 minutes of supposedly-telling surveillance footage, which prosecution has been hinting about since day one. The trial is set to conclude Friday, but the judge suggested it could wrap up even sooner.
