A police officer broke down on the witness stand, the victim’s mother became so upset she left the courtroom and some jurors could be seen wiping away tears as the trial of a man accused of killing a 2-year-old boy started Wednesday.
Jeremy Poou Caceres' mom took the stand, describing the day her son was shot to death and she was wounded.
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WATCH HEREThey had just gotten fast food in February of last year, and she was pushing him in his stroller across the courtyard at a Langley Park apartment complex when shots were fired.
Jeremy’s mother identified the man on trial, Johnny Turcios, as one of the men who was firing shots when she and her son were hit.
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SIGN UP When prosecutors played police body camera video showing her screaming after the shooting, she left the courtroom in tears.
Turcios is charged with murder. Prosecutors say he was one of two men who fired guns toward the victims that afternoon. Instead of hitting their target, they hit Jeremy and his mom.
Police have said the two groups involved in the gun battle were fighting over drug territory.
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Two guns were recovered in the case, prosecutors said: A .22 and an AK-47 style weapon.
In his opening statement, the prosecutor said Turcios fired at least once.
But Turcios' attorney told the jury neither gun has been connected to him. No DNA links Turcios to any weapon in the case, the defense attorney said.
The defense also predicted witness testimony would be inconsistent.
The first officer on scene got choked up when a photo was shown of him performing CPR on Jeremy, who later died at a hospital.
Prosecutors played a 911 call in which the caller told dispatch, “A baby just got shot right now. The little baby's dying. Please hurry.”
Turcios and an alleged accomplice, Israel Fuentes Jr., were in a stolen SUV that was under police surveillance, according to charging documents. They were quickly identified as suspects after Fuentes allegedly called 911 an hour-and-a-half after the killing, claiming he'd been robbed of money and his cellphone.
Fuentes faces murder charges and is set for trial next year.
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