ATLANTA — Only Channel 2 Action News was in the courtroom as a young woman cried on the stand. She testified that her boyfriend was shot and killed after knocking on the wrong door.
Channel 2′s Michael Seiden was outside the Fulton County courthouse.
Omarian Banks,19, was killed in 2019. The attorneys for the defense say the shooting was in self-defense.
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In court on Tuesday, jurors listened to some of the frantic calls for help. They also got the chance to hear from the accused killer who told a 911 dispatcher that he fired in self-defense.
Darryl Bynes is standing trial for the murder of Banks.
Prosecutors say Bynes, a husband and father of five, shot and killed Banks after the teen mistook Bynes’ apartment for the one he and his girlfriend shared at The Reserve off Fairburn Road in Atlanta.
This neighbor, Sharonda Smith testified that she was in bed when she heard a commotion outside her window.
“I heard, ‘I was at the wrong door. I’m sorry. I was at the wrong door. No, you were not at the wrong door! POW! POW! Pow,’” Smith described. “And I see that baby laying on the ground. That’s what I seen.”
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But attorneys for Bynes claim that their client acted in self-defense. According to a 911 call played in court, Bynes told a dispatcher that he thought the teen was armed with a gun.
But no gun was ever found at the scene.
Jurors also listened to testimony from banks’ mother and girlfriend, who heard the gunshots and then rushed to her boyfriend’s side
Making one of the first calls for help.
Testimony has wrapped up for Tuesday. The defense decided to reserve its opening argument, which means they could wait to present it when the state is finished presenting its case.
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