ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A hearing began today for a St. Johns County judge to determine if the 'stand your ground' defense applies to a deadly shooting outside of the Dos Gatos bar in St. Augustine in May 2021.
Luis Casado is accused of killing Adam Amoia, but he claims his actions were self-defense because Amoia was physically attacking him. His attorney has referred to the case as a "classic 'stand your ground' case."
Casado claims his actions were self-defense because Amoia was physically attacking him.
Inside the courtroom, multiple witnesses recounted the night of the shooting including the actions that led up to the death of Adam Amoia.
"I saw the group of boys hit, slap, or make contact with the individual. The individual backed up into the bar menu on the wall and turned away a little bit. Then nothing else occurred for a moment and then there was a gun and shooting and chaos ensued," Witness Allison Seanard said.
St. Augustine Police Officer Eric Yarborough, the first officer to respond to the scene, also testified. His body camera video was shown to the court.
"When I first exited my vehicle, there were several people running through the area telling me that someone had been shot around the corner," Officer Yarborough said.
In the video, Yarborough is seen getting out of his car and running and finding Amoia surrounded by bystanders trying to help.
"I saw a male subject laying on the ground with apparent gunshot wounds. He did not appear to be breathing at that time," Yarborough added.
Yarborough said bystanders pointed out the shooter was a bald man and wearing a black suit who was across the street. Yarborough saw Casado and found a gun in his pocket.
Once he was handcuffed, Casado can be heard justifying his actions:
"Its not murder, it's self defense," he tells the Yarborough multiple times.
Surveillance video released soon after the incident showed both Casado and Amoia outside of the bar, Amoia repeatedly slapping and hitting Casado before Casado takes out his gun, shooting Amoia multiple times outside of the bar.
Casado's attorney wrote in a court filing that Amoia had repeatedly punched Casado. The defense says Casado has every right to protect himself and does deserve immunity.
Testimony will continue Tuesday, with attorneys predicting the case to last one week. The State asked that information about Amoia's past that could paint him in a bad light not be introduced in the case, because it could influence the decision.
