MIAMI (WSVN) - As the trial for a man accused of being a lookout outside a Northwest Miami-Dade banquet hall during a mass shooting continued, there were tense moments in the courtroom when interrogation tapes were played before the jury.
The murder trial for Davonte Barnes entered its fourth day, Wednesday.
He is being charged with three counts of first-degree murder and 20 counts of attempted murder.
“I wasn’t shooting. I don’t know who was,” Barnes said in the tapes.
According to police, Barnes confessed to being a lookout during the massacre that took place at the El Mula Banquet Hall on May 30, 2021.
From the interrogation tapes, Miami-Dade homicide detectives were seen pressing Barnes on what he knew from the deadly night, including who
he was on the phone with while driving to the banquet hall and who was behind the wheel of a white Nissan when at least three shooters get out of the SUV.
“I don’t know who was driving,” Barnes said.
During his interrogation, Barnes was going back and forth with detectives. Detectives were also seen pushing back at Barnes, often raising their voices at times.
“Twenty [expletive] people! Twenty-three. Whether they deserved it or not, he had these [expletive] get shot,” said Miami-Dade Detective Richard Raphael said to the suspect during the interrogation. “I don’t want your opinion, I want the truth!”
Surveillance video captured the three masked gunmen as they got out of the SUV. Barnes identified these men in a photo lineup.
Taking the stand on Wednesday, a prosecutor asked MDPD Detective Amanda Turnes what he called the trio.
“‘Doulos,’ ‘Sko’ and ‘Gordo,'” said the prosecutor.
“‘Doulos would be Warneric Buckner, ‘Sko’ would be Eugene Holmes, and Gordo would be Tyrell Wallace,” said Turnes.
Charges against Buckner were dropped after detectives improperly got a confession after he asked for an attorney.
Jurors will continue to view those videos as the trial continues.
Court has since adjourned for the day, and the trial is scheduled to resume Thursday morning.
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