GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Family of a slain 14-year-old boy wept quietly, as surveillance video of the Feb. 16 shooting at a Holland Township hotel played in the courtroom Thursday.
Juan Sandro Cabrera, 18, is on trial for the shooting death of Troy "TJ" Wells, which happened at the Hampton Inn on Felch Street.
The prosecution played surveillance clips from multiple hotel cameras for the jury, as Detective Michael Tamminga walked them through the incident from the stand.
The video shows wells arguing with Julio Palomares, who witnesses said was shown in a photo with Cabrera holding rifles and throwing gang signs. The two are believed to be members of the Latin Kings.
They were holding and "flashing" the guns, said Sincere Reed, who was in room 230 with Cabrera and Palomares.
"I was like, 'Why would you bring a gun to a hotel party?'" Reed said. "I was told that it would just be a party where people come over. Why would you bring a gun?"
As the two throw punches outside the room, a person steps through the door, firing several shots at Wells.
"Somebody told me that my brother was fighting," said Jakara Hunter, Wells' sister, who was also at the hotel. "I ran down the hallway to where he was at, and he started getting shot."
Initially, witnesses misidentified the suspect, which led detectives to a man who turned himself in near the Texas-Mexico border. The person was cleared, and investigators were quickly led to Cabrera, Tamminga said.
Defense Attorney Christopher Kessel asked the detective if some of the witnesses' stories changed over the course of their investigation. Tamminga responded, "Yes."
A slate of eyewitnesses are expected to testify Friday, including Palomares and Joey Garcia. The two are facing separate charges and may receive plea benefits for their testimony.
More crime stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.