Witness: Dispute Over Stare Led to Shooting That Killed 2 Ex-Auburn Players, 1 Other

OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) – A witness says an argument over staring led to the shooting that killed two one-time Auburn University football players and another man.

Ashanti Jones testified Thursday that then-Auburn football player DeAngelo Benton and 24-year-old Desmonte Leonard began arguing because Benton thought Leonard was staring at him during a party.

Testimony showed the dispute ended in a shooting that killed one-time Auburn football players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips and another man. Three others were wounded.

Leonard’s attorneys say he fired in self-defense after being attacked. He’s charged with capital murder.

Partygoer Ashley Rogers says she also heard the argument but doesn’t know what it was about.

Rogers testified that she dove into bushes at the sound of gunfire. Rogers says she ran after realizing the man on the ground beside her was dead.

 

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