Opinion ID: 1954208
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the state's witnesses at trial

Text: Terrance Toney testified that after Sherrod's car collided with his parked car, he, Troy Toney, and their uncle, William Toney, walked to Sherrod, who was standing beside his Malibu. First, Terrance Toney pushed Sherrod backward, and then Troy Toney punched Sherrod in the eye. Meanwhile, Terrance Toney noticed a shiny glare in William Toney's hand, saw William Toney raise his hand, and heard two shots as William Toney used a small... silver gun to shoot Sherrod. At that point, Terrance Toney grabbed a .38-caliber revolver from Troy Toney's pants pocket and went behind the Malibu, where he fired five shots into the car's rear window. According to Terrance Toney, Morris Mo Williford was not involved in the fracas or shooting. After the shooting, everyone scattered. Troy Toney testified that he, Terrance Toney, and William Toney approached Sherrod, who was standing beside his car. Terrance Toney pushed Sherrod, and then Troy Toney struck Sherrod. A few seconds later, when William Toney was approximately a car length from Sherrod, Troy Toney saw William Toney's arm go up while William Toney was holding a small shiny .22 which Troy Toney had not seen before that time. Troy Toney heard two shots just before Terrance Toney took the .38-caliber revolver from Troy Toney and shot out the rear window of Sherrod's Malibu. As testified by Troy Toney, Williford was not directly involved in the altercation. According to the testimony of Morris Mo Williford, when Terrance and Troy Toney were scuffling with Sherrod, Williford was approximately a car length from that tussle and was looking away from the scene when the first shot was fired. Some 10 seconds later, Terrance Toney shot the rear window out of Sherrod's car. Williford testified that he had never seen either Terrance or Troy Toney with a small gun, but about a week before the shooting he had seen a silver or chrome .22-caliber derringer lying in the grass where the group had gathered before Sherrod's Malibu collided with Terrance Toney's parked car. However, on the night of the shooting, Williford did not see a .22-caliber derringer. A witness for the State, Jesse McGhee, who was one of those gathered on the sidewalk before the collision, testified that he did not see William Toney with a weapon that evening, but had seen Terrance and Troy Toney with a small two-shot derringer sometime before the night when Sherrod was shot. A pathologist testified that the autopsy he performed on Sherrod's body revealed no bruises or marks on Sherrod's head or face. However, he found two gunshot wounds, one in Sherrod's left chest which caused Sherrod to bleed to death, and another gunshot wound in Sherrod's left forearm which was marked by stippling or powder burns, indicating that the muzzle of the firearm was 6 to 8 inches from Sherrod's arm when the gun was discharged. Two .22-caliber bullets were extracted from Sherrod's body. Police never recovered a .22-caliber firearm in connection with the Sherrod shooting.