Opinion ID: 1420202
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: paul jr.'s testimony

Text: Asked if something besides the furniture precipitated the ensuing incident, Paul said defendant had made a slapping motion at my mom enough to, you know, kind of tap, but it wasn't an actual hit. Paul said this upset him and he told defendant not to hit her. It was after the son confronted his father that defendant grabbed him. Paul testified that he and defendant got into it a little bit. Defendant pushed him up against the truck after the son had yelled at him. When asked if he remembered defendant grabbing him by the throat, the son responded that defendant [j]ust pushed me up on my neck. Shortly after that, defendant tripped or fell and Lisa and Mrs. Powell attempted to intervene. Paul testified that after this altercation he just wanted to leave and tried to get his sister to leave with him. Lisa, however, was on the phone in the Morton building with the 911 dispatcher. Paul also asked his mother if she wanted to leave with him; she said no. Paul got into his truck and started down the driveway. Paul testified about what happened next: Well, I was already driving down the road and he [defendant] had stepped out of the house and had a gun and he pointed it at me, orwell, not at me, but at the truck. And when I saw the gun I just ducked down and swerved. I kind of swerved at him because I figured, you know, if I swerve, you know, nothing is going to happen, I'm just going to be able to get out of there and just leave. Paul said defendant was about 10 feet from the bumper of the truck when this happened. He identified the weapon as a shotgun. When asked why he ducked down when he saw the gun pointed at [him], Paul replied, Just the gun, I mean, to me, that was insignificant. I had just ducked. When asked what he was feeling when this gun was pointed at [him], Paul replied, That I needed to get out of there. Basically, just, you know, just to get out of there because he was mad and I was mad and I justthat's, basically, all I was thinking, that I had to get out of there. When asked if he was scared, Paul replied, Not really. Not real scared, but I was I was very upset. When asked if he thought his father was going to shoot him, Paul responded, Not really. When asked on redirect what he would normally think if a person pointed a gun at him, Paul responded, I believe I would normally think that the person was either trying to rob you or show I don't know. Do whatever you're going to do. Rob you or threaten you with a gun. Paul testified that no one else was in the truck with him when defendant pointed the gun. Paul said when he left the scene he decided to stop at his aunt and uncle's house and tell them what had happened. Paul was crying and upset. Paul explained that he was emotionally upset because he and his father had never argued before. Paul agreed that his statement to law enforcement officers, given immediately after the incident, conflicted with his testimony at the preliminary hearing. Paul did not remember telling the deputy that he thought defendant was going to shoot him, adding, But if I did, you know, I don't feel that he was going to shoot me now, now that I sit back and think about it. He explained further when questioned about ducking: I don't think he was going to, I can say now, because I think now that he isn't, now that he washe wasn't planning on it. That's all that I guess I can say. Paul denied that any shots were fired from the gun.