GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The trial of a Grand Rapids man charged with murdering a 13-year-old boy continued into its second day Wednesday with the prosecution showing video evidence for the jury.
The shooting happened near the Woodland Mall in Kentwood nearly a year ago.
Justin House, 31, claims he shot and killed Jamarion McCuller in self-defense.
During an interview with Kentwood police detectives after the shooting, House is heard admitting to making a bad decision.
House was read his Miranda Rights and shared details of what led up to the shooting on March 12.
After he confronted the thieves who stole his father's car on 28th Street and boxed them in with his own car, the six teen suspects hopped out of the stolen vehicle and ran away.
House chased after them towards Radcliff and 29th Street.
He told detectives he was crossing Radcliff while the victim, Jamarion McCuller, was about ten feet away on the sidewalk when he fired a shot towards him, believing he saw McCuller turn towards him while possibly armed.
McCuller was shot in the back and chest and later died.
"I swear the guy in the red turned around," said House to detectives. "If he didn't turn around when I shot, he turned around before. I know he ended up turning around."
Though, detectives say his account contradicts surveillance video police collected from nearby businesses.
They say none of the suspects were seen turning around in any of the footage.
Eventually, House admitted to detectives it was a bad decision to chase the suspects down and he fired the shot to scare them.
He was also upset because he believed the suspects had tried to run him over and kill him while he had confronted them on 28th Street.
"If you did happen to catch them, what was your plan?", the detective asked during the interrogation video.
"I really didn't have a plan," responded House. "But you know, you catch them so you all can get them. You don't want them to get away for stuff like that. People work too hard for stuff to just be taken from them and damaged."
Police say they didn't find a gun on or near McCuller at the scene.
House's defense counsel claims self-defense and this was not vigilante justice.
They also say witnesses testified seeing the suspects with guns.
The prosecution is expected to rest by Thursday afternoon and the trial is expected to wrap up Friday.
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