Officer: Kids screaming, others pleading for help at scene of 2017 Colerain mass shooting

The trial of James Echols and Michael Sanon continued Thursday with prosecutors largely focusing of the brutal aftermath of the July 8, 2017 mass shooting at a home in Colerain Township.

Testimony began with two police officers who were among the first to respond to the scene.

Joe Deters: Colerain Township mass shooting could be a capital murder case

Kurt Magoteaux, a former Colerain Township police officer, said he arrived at the scene that night to find children screaming and others pleading for help. "It was very chaotic," he said.

Autum Garrett killed in shooting that left eight others injured, including children

Autum Garrett, 22, was fatally shot on the couch where she sat. She was the only shooting victim who died. Prosecutors say she wasn't the shooters' target.

Garrett's husband, Bryan, was sitting next to his wife pleading for her to live, Magoteaux said.

Co-worker: Autum Garrett, killed in Colerain Township shooting, lived for her family

Autum Garrett was one of nine victims in a shooting that left eight others injured, including her husband and two children, in what prosecutors say was an attempted murder-for-hire.

Body camera footage played in court showed children and adults strewn out across the front room of the house on Capstan Drive. Autum Garrett was slumped over on the couch covered in blood.

Prosecutor: $10,000 loan led to mass shooting at 2017 fake gender-reveal party in Colerain

Investigators found "a lot" of ballistic evidence, with 9mm shell casings recovered from various spots throughout the house, Kimberly Horning, a Cincinnati police criminalist, said in her testimony.

Survivor of Colerain mass shooting testifies in court

Bryan Garrett, 28, was struck in the head, thigh and wrist, losing sight in one of his eyes, according to court documents. He also testified Thursday.

He remembered the front door of the house swinging open and a "flash" before he blacked out.

Sometime after 11 p.m., two men armed with handguns entered the house through an unlocked door, according to police reports, and began spraying the living room with bullets.

Bryan Garrett, his eye scarred from the shooting, said he regained consciousness to find his children bleeding and his wife unresponsive only taking shallow breaths.

He said their son was crying for his mom. "He just wanted his parents," Bryan Garrett said, adding he was separated from his children for four days while in the hospital.

The couple’s 1-year-old child was struck in the knee and arm; their 3-year-old child was shot in the head and both legs, but survived, documents say.

'If someone walked in the house, she'd have a panic attack'

Bryan Garrett said his family came to Cincinnati to attend his brother-in-law's wedding and spend time with family.

He said recovery has been difficult for himself and his children both physically and emotionally.

His son had to relearn how to walk after needing to use a wheelchair for six months and his daughter wouldn't speak for a year after the shooting except in hushed tones to close family, Bryan Garrett said.

"If someone walked in the house, she'd have a panic attack," he said.

Columbus residents face 22 counts, including aggrivated murder

Echols, 26, and Sanon, 24, both Columbus residents, face numerous counts in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court including aggravated murder.

Also charged in the case is Roshawn Bishop, 31, of West Price Hill and Vandell Slade, 33, of Columbus. Trial dates for Slade as well as Bishop have not been set.

What prosecutors say led up to the mass shooting

Prosecutors say Cheyanne Willis, Autum Garrett’s cousin, was the target of the shooting.

Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Allison Oswall said Willis had loaned Bishop $10,000 and had also told him she was pregnant with his child.

As Willis began pressuring Bishop, who prosecutors say is a drug dealer, to pay back the money, he made plans for Echols and Sanon to kill her, Oswall said.

Trial of James Echols and Michael Sanon expected to resume Jan. 18

Attorneys for both Echols and Sanon said there’s no physical evidence connecting them to the scene of the shooting and that both men are victims of circumstance.

News: Jury trials in Hamilton County suspended beginning Tuesday. Judges cite COVID-19 surge

The trial is expected to resume Tuesday morning. Jury trials in Hamilton County will be suspended starting Tuesday, though any trials currently underway are being allowed to continue.

Enquirer reporter Kevin Grasha contributed.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Day 2 in trial of accused gunmen in Colerain mass shooting