Trial begins for Bradenton man charged in fatal shooting of girlfriend’s ex
The trial for a 2021 shooting that left a 26-year-old Bradenton man dead is underway.
Shamar Dequez Johnson, 24, appeared in a Manatee County courtroom Wednesday before Circuit Court Judge Frederick Mercurio for the Sept. 11 2021 fatal shooting of Cecil V. Richardson.
Johnson, who has already undergone a “Stand Your Ground” hearing, conceded alongside his defense attorney Sean Powers Wednesday that he was the shooter but is arguing self-defense against charges of second-degree murder.
He is one of two people charged in connection to the shooting.
Chanelle Michelle Lawson, who was Richardson’s ex-girlfriend and Johnson’s current girlfriend at the time of the shooting, was the first suspect arrested in the case.
She is charged with two counts of accessory after the fact and has a hearing coming up on Dec. 14, according to court records.
Witnesses testify Wednesday
Prosecutors said Wednesday in court that Johnson went down to get weed out of Lawson’s car, a silver-gray Honda Accord, and noticed her tires were flat. Lawson was allegedly mad, thinking Richardson was responsible, and posted about it on Facebook. In response, Richardson texted her to ask about the post.
Johnson and Richardson allegedly then went to smoke weed in the car. At some point, Richardson pulled up and told Lawson to get his stuff out of the apartment. An argument then ensued.
Harvey Moore, the state’s first witness lived at the Preserve on 51st Apartments at the time of the shooting. He said Wednesday during the trial that he heard “pop, pop, pop” as he went to get his mail.
“I’m from New York so I’ve heard that sound before,” he said.
The state’s second witness, Tania Cheaves, also lived at the apartments.
She testified that she heard “quite a few” gunshots, saw a person fall and two people run away. After everything cleared, she said she went to perform CPR on Richardson.
She said she also heard a female screaming, “Why would you do that?”
Bodycam footage played in court showed Justin Gause with Bradenton Police Department arrive on the scene and take over performing CPR. The footage also showed Richardson lying face-up on the sidewalk and bleeding profusely.
Gause said Richardson had at least two gunshot wounds. He also testified that he found three spent shell casings, 9 mm, next to the Honda and two fresh projectiles inside a wall of the apartment complex.
‘I just closed my eyes and started shooting’
Milton Jose Conill, who also lives at the apartments, testified through an interpreter that he saw two people, a man and woman, sitting in a car in the parking lot on the day of the shooting.
He said the woman occasionally got out of the car and walked around while on her cell phone. She then got back in the car to smoke. Conill also testified that he saw another car pull up and that a man got out. He later heard two gunshots, he said, then saw a man drop to the ground. He also said he saw a handgun.
Conill then testified that the man started talking to Richardson in a “violently angry” manner. He then heard two more shots before the woman sped off in a Chevrolet Traverse with the man.
Video of an interview between Johnson and the Bradenton Police Department that took place shortly after his arrest was played in the courtroom Wednesday.
In the video, Johnson told police Richardson and Lawson had an altercation. He said he believed Richardson was trying to grab Lawson’s keys. Johnson eventually joined in. A gun, which Johnson believed belonged to Richardson, fell to the ground.
“When I picked the gun up, I didn’t cock it or nothing, I just closed my eyes and started shooting,” Johnson said in the interview video.
A gun was never recovered.
Medical examiner Russell Scott Vega testified that Richardson had four gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide.
Johnson initially told Judge Mercurio that he wanted to testify, but that he did not have enough time to prepare for cross-examination with his attorney. Johnson, though, decided not to testify.
More details about the shooting
Richardson and Lawson shared a child together and had an on-again, off-again relationship, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
Prosecutors say Johnson fatally fired four rounds at Richardson after a brief argument in the parking lot of the Preserve on 51st Apartments in the 4800 block of 51st Street W., in Bradenton.
Investigators say Lawson and Johnson immediately fled the scene of the shooting, with Lawson allegedly dropping Johnson off at an unknown location and refusing to share that information with law enforcement.
She was later taken to the hospital because one of the bullets struck her left index finger, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
Police say Johnson was later arrested with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office in the 4800 block of 51st Street W., which is the same apartment complex where the shooting occurred.
During Johnson’s first interview with the Bradenton Police Department after his arrest, he told officers he shot Richardson but said he did it because he “was in fear,” according to police.
In 2019, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office responded to another domestic dispute between Lawson and Richardson, with an arrest report showing that Lawson began punching and kicking her boyfriend after an argument.
As Richardson tried to drive away after the altercation, deputies say Lawson used her own car to crash into the driver’s side of his vehicle.
Johnson also previously spent time in jail for selling fentanyl and fleeing to elude law enforcement officers, court records show.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
