Opinion ID: 1093284
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Ronnie Porter

Text: Ronnie, Larry's brother, testified he arrived by himself at Henrietta's around 7:30. He said he did not see George. Yet, when asked if there had been a fight before he got there, he replied, Naw. After he got there the group went to Mr. K's and returned. They had a couple of beers and somebody told them Joe Cool was outside. He identified Joe Cool as that cat right there, meaning the defendant. Johnny's group went outside. Ronnie testified: A. Joe Cool. Standing outside, looking up in the air, with his hands in his pocket. So, uh, we just walked, a couple of us just walked up to him and said, uh, they was fixing to pay him off what Johnny had owed him, and after that, my brother came next, from the house, next door to Henrietta's, he was outside and he came up talking to him. They were talking like friends and stuff. Somebody told my brother that Joe Cool had hit, him and Johnny had been fighting and he had did something to Johnny, so my brother hauled off and hit him. Q. Hit who? A. Joe Cool. Q. What did Joe Cool do? A. He didn't do nothing. Q. Where were his hands at the time? A. In his pockets. (R. 228)       Q. Where was Johnny? A. Well, Johnny, he was going toward, going back in Henrietta's. I guess the reason Joe Cool had [said] something to Johnny and Johnny just ran toward him and said, played like he was gonna do a drop kick on him and hit him. And then, I reckon just back on up, and Joe Cool, he just came out of his pocket, and aimed at Johnny and started shooting. (R. 213) On cross-examination Ronnie was asked about his demonstration of Johnny's movement towards George. Q. Okay. When you demonstrated for the jury a minute ago how he took about three steps and kind of kicked his leg, was it his right leg that he kicked up? A. I can't tell you that. It was one of them. He just faked a kick. Q. And the he also threw a fist. A. Right. Henrietta also testified for the State. She recalled George pushing Johnny first and an ensuing scuffle. She thought they were playing. She went back in a storage room and when she returned, there was a huddle and a gun. She never saw a knife. I couldn't see who had the gun in their hand because all I did was see the gun and the gun was wavin' and going on and I saw it and I just scooted out the back door and stuck my head back in... . She also testified that when Johnny's group returned, Johnny would go in and out of the cafe every few minutes. She estimated about 45 minutes lapsed from the first trouble in her cafe until the shooting. The next day she was told the shooting occurred in the street almost a block from her place of business. The State also introduced into evidence the transcribed statement George had given to the law enforcement officers on January 21. No State witness testified George made any physical movement at or towards Johnny at any time outside the cafe prior to Johnny's running and kicking at him. Even George's verbal threats were provoked by Johnny's failure to pay his bet.