Witnesses at Hartsfield Trial Say They Never Saw Shooter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Former Jaguars player Richard Collier was the first witness called today in the trial of the man accused of shooting him and leaving him paralyzed.

A jury, which was seated Monday, began hearing testimony in the trial of 33-year-old Tyrone Hartsfield. Collier said he first met Hartsfield when he was trying to enter a bar in the spring of 2008 and Hartsfield told him to go around. Collier said Hartsfield pushed him, so he pushed back, spilling his drink. Then Collier hit Hartsfield, he said.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda said in his opening statements that the shooting was revenge for that incident.

Five months later, on Labor Day, Collier said he and a friend met two sisters at Square One, a club, and the four decided to leave together. He also said a friend had told him Hartsfield was there, but that Hartsfield never bothered him at the club. 

Collier said he and Kenny Pettway left in one vehicle and the two women took another. At one point all four stopped at the women's apartment so they could use the bathroom. While they were waiting for one of the women, Jemelia Corbie, to return, he heard shots behind him.

Collier said he never saw who did it, but he knew he had been hit when he blacked out in the ambulance.

Hartsfield's defense attorney Ann Finnell asked Collier about his late-night habits, like going to clubs and dating many women at once; she asked if that had ever caused him trouble.

The biggest issue between the prosecution and defense came when Collier told Finnell he didn't remember saying, "I don't know why I have so many enemies," a statement that surfaced repeatedly throughout the day's testimony.

Sisters Jemelia and Natalia Corbie, who agreed to leave Square One with Pettway and Collier, both said they heard Collier make that statement.

Kenny Pettway, who was driving with Collier that night, also took the stand Tuesday afternoon and described their trip to the women's apartment and the subsequent shooting.

Jemelia had gotten into the back seat and Natalia Corbie headed inside the apartment, he said. Collier opened the door to move to the back seat also, but then Jemelia Corbie said she also needed to run inside.

Pettway said Collier's door and Natalia Corbie's doors were slightly open. They watched Jemelia Corbie walk inside. Then, Pettway said, he heard shots coming from near the back door, and Collier saying, "Drive, drive, drive."

Pettway said he tried to get out of the vehicle, but couldn't until after the shooting. He hid by a nearby bush, then ran to the girls' apartment to call 911. He called twice, he said.

Pettway testified that he never saw the shooter, and when asked if he was scared, he replied, "To death."

Jemelia Corbie took the stand after Pettway and told the court she had a casual relationship with Collier. Corbie said they did leave the bar with Pettway and Collier. Once they got back to the apartment, she said she headed inside to use the restroom.

When she left the car, Corbie said she heard noises, but didn't think it was gunshots. She thought it may be firecrackers, and then thought maybe Collier and Pettway were playing with a gun. She testified that she hadn't seen either of them with a gun.

Corbie said once inside, her mother, who lives there as well, said someone had been shot. Corbie testified that she didn't believe her and went into the bathroom to freshen up.

Finnell sharply challenged Corbie on how long she was in the bathroom. "No more than three to five minutes," she said.

On redirect, De la Rionda then asked Corbie if she routinely timed herself in the bathroom, to which the witness replied, "No."

Finnell also asked Corbie if she had told police her ex-boyfriend could be jealous that she was with Collier. Corbie responded that she never told police that.

None of the witnesses Tuesday said they saw the shooter, and all agreed that Collier didn't seem upset leading up to the shooting.

Collier was shot six times in the back, and was hospitalized from Sept. 2 to Dec. 15. He was left paralyzed from the waist down and his lower left leg was amputated because of blood clots.

Hartsfield has denied any involvement in the incident.

The trial will resume at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

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