Trial underway in young teens murder

November 7, 2007 - 6:15 PM

KALAMAZOO (NEWSCHANNEL 30 - Jurors in a Kalamazoo courtroom are weighing the evidence in the trial of Emmanuel Atkins Wednesday.

Atkins is on trial for murder. Prosecutors say he shot and killed a 14-year-old boy back in March.

The victim is William Berry. Police say he was visiting friends when someone in a passing car fired shots. Police say Atkins pulled the trigger.

Three witnesses who were on that porch when Berry was hit each told a similar story. Witnesses say there had been a north side-south side confrontation a few hours earlier.

That confrontation was broken up by police. But later that night, Berry was sitting on a porch along with some of the people who had been in the confrontation. That's when a suburban drove by and someone fired one shot.

Prosecutors say the shooter was Emmanuel Atkins.

All three witnesses told the court they didn't know who it was that pulled the trigger.

"I seen the glare from the shot come out the back window," said one. "They started yelling, I walked up and seen all the blood," said another.

A crime scene investigator told the court he found numerous finger prints in the suburban, but couldn't match the prints with Emmanueal Atkins. That suburban was full of people.

We expect to hear from some of them as this trial progresses.