Chattanooga: Prosecutors finish evidence in murder trial

photo Montez Davis leaves the courtroom and looks at the gallery after the prosecution plays a tape of his interview with investigators at the Police Service Center the morning after the shooting at Kanku's on Wilcox Boulevard.

Prosecutors have finished their evidence in the murder trial of a 20-year-old man.

Defense attorney Curtis Bowe is preparing to call his final witness in the third day of the trial.

Police and prosecutors allege that Montez Davis drove through the parking lot of 3440 Wilcox Blvd on the night of Jan. 9, 2010.

While driving the rented white Jeep Patriot through the lot, someone in the crowd hurled a bottle that shattered the SUV's back window.

Davis drove about 30 yards to the end of the lot, stopped the car, got out and began firing a .40-caliber Glock handgun at the crowd.

One of the slugs struck Jonathan Lawrence in the throat as he pumped gas, killing him.

A recorded police interview played in court today has the 20-year-old defendant admitting to firing the shots that killed an innocent bystander.

In the recording, Davis said he didn't mean to kill 42-year-old Lawrence and that he was firing into the crowd, which contained Bloods gang members who'd been harassing him.

For more details, return to www.timesfreepress.com throughout the day or read tomorrow's Times Free Press.

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