Witness: Defendant shot friend, denies gun claim

• By JAMES MINTON
• Advocate Baker - Zachary bureau
• Published: Aug 27, 2008 - Page: 5B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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CLINTON — Witnesses to a fatal shooting last year in the town of Wilson, one of them the man who was riding with the slaying victim, testified Tuesday in the second-degree murder trial of Peter Webb Jr.

Marcus Scott, in sometimes-emotional testimony, described the events that led to the fatal shooting on May 16, 2007, of his friend, Marcus Parker, 25, on a street near the Town Hall in Wilson.

“It happened so fast,” Scott said several times during questioning by 20th Judicial District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla and defense attorney Ben Hamilton, who contends that Webb shot Parker only in self-defense.

Prosecutors are expected to rest their case this morning after the jury of nine women and three men examines written witness statements and other documents introduced in the trial.

Webb, 20, faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted of second-degree murder.

Scott testified he and Parker passed in front of the Webb home minutes before the shooting, and Peter Webb Jr., his father, Peter Webb Sr., and his mother, Cassandra Webb, soon followed and caught up with Parker and Scott.

The Webbs told detectives that Parker showed a pistol when he passed the Webb home, but Scott denied doing so on the witness stand Tuesday.

Scott testified Cassandra Webb passed the car in which he and Parker were riding as it crossed the railroad tracks in Wilson, and the woman stopped her vehicle and “rushed” their car.

Peter Webb Jr. stopped behind them and Peter Webb Sr. stopped behind his son, Scott testified.

Parker had a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol in his lap when Cassandra Webb approached, but, Scott said, Parker did not point the weapon at Cassandra Webb or fire it during their brief argument, as another witness said.

Scott said he was getting out of the car when Peter Webb ran up and fired shots from his pistol at Parker.

The Webbs left, and Scott said he tried to load his friend into a car, but a nurse who arrived on the scene advised him to let her try to help the victim.

Dr. Gilbert Corrigan, of Baton Rouge, a forensic pathologist, said three bullets struck the victim. One hit both lungs and Parker’s heart, one hit his right lung, kidney and liver and the third bullet traveled under Parker’s skin on his back.