An eyewitness in a double murder trial testified in Kings County Criminal Court Thursday that he saw the defendant, Sean Steer, shoot three times at one of the victims.
The eyewitness, Mr. Hunt, said he fled, only to discover later that the second victim at the shooting scene in Prospect Heights was his brother, Vance Rock.
“I looked in the ambulance and my brother wasn’t moving,” Hunt said. “His chest wasn’t moving up and down at all. He was lifeless.”
On July 18th, Steer was arrested for allegedly shooting Vance Rock and Darrian Delk after a heated verbal exchange at a block party Delk and Rock were sitting in their car at Washington Avenue and St. John’s Place when the defendant walked up and started firing bullets at them said Police.
Responding to questions from Assistant District Attorney Robert Walsh, Hunt said that moments earlier he had pulled up on his motorcycle next to his brother’s Chevy Caprice. His brother told him that he was “having trouble with some guys” who were standing nearby, Hunt testified, and that his brother said, “looks like these guys are hating on me.”
Hunt learned that his brother had hit a guy he described as the “little guy with glasses” before he had arrived.
As the Hunt stood resting on his bike, he claimed that a guy he hadn’t noticed before came up and shot three bullets at Delk. The witness then took off on his bike. It was after he returned a short while later that he discovered that his brother had been shot in the head and killed.
Hunts’ two brothers were speaking to police at the scene. Hunt told his brothers, “not to mention the fight to the officers. I wanted to see how I would go about handling things myself—thinking about taking things into my own hands and find out who killed my brother.”
Walsh asked, “Were you thinking of revenge?”
“Yes,” replied Hunt.
Walsh continued to question Hunt about his conversation with the detectives at the hospital.
“I didn’t tell Detective Perez that my brother knocked out the guy with glasses.”
However, a few weeks later, Hunt decided to come clean and tell the detectives everything.
Just as Walsh was asking why, Judge Joel M. Goldberg interjected and warned Walsh not to lead the witness.
“What changed your mind?” asked Judge Goldberg.
“A lot happened at home. Worse to lose another one [another son] and doing something stupid and going away for the rest of my life,” said Hunt.
A few weeks after that conversation, Hunt came to the precinct and identified the defendant in a police line-up.
The prosecution put a photograph of the car up on the screen and asked Hunt to show where he was parked on his motorcycle in relation to the car. Hunt pointed and said his wheel was only a few feet away from the wheel of his brother’s car.
“I had no difficulty seeing the guy with glasses or the defendant,” said Hunt.
Hunt told the court that he was still standing in the very same place when the three bullets were shot.
After the prosecution finished their line of questioning, defense attorney, Mr. Rodriguez, stood up and addressed the witness, “You have two violent felony convictions, correct?”
“Yes,” Hunt replied.
Hunt revealed under further questioning that he had served prison terms for shooting an off duty police officer in the leg and for robbery.
Judge Goldberg cut in to the testimony to explain to the jury that Hunt was not on trial, but that this information is relevant because it speaks to a witness’ credibility.
Rodriquez reminded Hunt that he initially told the detectives that he had left before the shots were fired, and had failed to mention the fight between Rock and the “little guy with glasses.”
As the cross-examination continued, Rodriguez attempted to show the inconsistencies and holes in Hunt’s testimony. Hunt responded gruffly at times.
It is the second time he has testified. The trial continues.
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