Shooting victim describes efforts to escape gunman
Shooting victim Jeremiah Dill told a jury he threw his helmet at the gunman who attacked him, and tried to kick him off his bike.Mr Dill, 28, who suffered multiple bullet wounds, added that he was shot “in my ass” after he turned and ran away.The man accused of the shooting, Noet Barnett, 25, is on trial at Supreme Court.Detailing the attack, which unfolded when he was sitting on his bike talking to a woman on Parsons Road on October 4, 2010, the victim said: “Somebody came across and shot me.”According to him, the shooter said: “What happened p***y?” before opening fire, shooting him in his leg.“I dropped the bike and tried to kick the person off the bike. Then he shot me in the other leg. I picked up my helmet from off the ground and threw it at the person, and then ran off. Then I got shot a third time, in my ass.”The victim said his attacker rode off towards North Street. He was taken to hospital, where it was established that he’d suffered one bullet wound in each thigh, and one in his left buttock. According to David Wakely, who treated Mr Dill, each of the bullets passed straight through his muscle without causing any damage to his bones, nerves or blood vessels. He suffered six wounds in total, including the exit wounds.Quizzing Mr Dill, defence lawyer Victoria Pearman asked if he knew the accused, Mr Barnett. Mr Dill replied that he grew up with Mr Barnett in Spanish Point, Pembroke.The victim revealed that the accused man is godfather to his daughter. Mr Barnett was also in a relationship with his sister, Tookie Binns, at the time of the shooting.Asked if he recognised his attacker, Mr Dill replied that he could not see the person’s face because it was covered with a dark visor right down to the chin.He added that Mr Barnett has a stutter, but the shooter did not have a stutter when he asked “What happened p***y?”, before opening fire.On Tuesday, the jury heard testimony from the woman Mr Dill was chatting with when he was shot. The woman, who cannot be identified due to a reporting restriction, said the shooter was wearing a visor but she could see his lip area and recognised him as Mr Barnett.The jury also heard from prosecutor Rory Field that while Mr Dill and Mr Barnett used to be friends, “they were on either side of a serious dispute which was going on”, at the time of the crime.Today, the jury also heard further evidence from Detective Chief Inspector Nicholas Pedro, who previously explained that the gun in the case was found in bushes on East Gate Lane, Pembroke, almost three months after the shooting.He confirmed that Mr Barnett was forensically linked to the firearm via his DNA. The DNA of other people was also found on the weapon.Mr Barnett denies attempted murder, using a firearm to commit attempted murder and handling a firearm, and the case continues.