A witness thought that a gunshot was a firework after a man opened fire outside a cricket club moments after murder victim Ronniko Burchall left, a court heard yesterday.

The witness, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the Supreme Court that he had briefly spoken to Mr Burchall in the early hours of December 29, 2018 as the victim walked down the stairs from St David’s County Cricket Club.

The man said he was speaking to a woman outside the club when he heard the first shot.

He added: “As it sounded like a firework I really didn’t pay attention to it.

“Then four shots came after that. That’s when I looked to see what was happening.”

The witness said he saw the gunman outside the club with a weapon in his hand when he looked over the balcony.

He added that the gunman was about 5ft 9in, of slim build and wearing a grey hoodie with the hood up.

The witness said he “ducked and ran” into the club with the woman after he saw the gunman and stepped back out only after he had made sure she was safe.

The man explained he saw Mr Burchall motionless on the ground from his position on the balcony.

He added he was also able to see the gunman run up a set of stairs and around a nearby building.

The witness said: “By the time I had got back to the door he had already run and was going up the steps near where he came from.”

He told the court that he knew the dead man’s mother and was aware that Mr Burchall was associated with a Hamilton gang.

The court heard earlier that Mr Burchall, 30, was shot in the head at point-blank range in the club’s car park after a Christmas party and died in hospital the next day.

Taaj Muhammad, 26, from St George’s, has pleaded not guilty to the murder along with a charge of using a firearm to commit the offence.

The jury was also shown CCTV footage from the night of the shooting, including footage from inside the club and the club’s first-floor balcony.

The footage showed Mr Burchall arrive at the club at about 11.40pm and his departure at about 1.30am.

CCTV footage from the club’s balcony showed the flash of gunshots just after Mr Burchall left.

The trial, before Acting Puisne Judge Juan Wolffe, continues.

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