From: jcs
The fatal incident involving Michael Dunn occurred on November 23, 2012, in Jacksonville, Florida [00:02:28]. Michael Dunn, a 45-year-old software developer, was attending his son’s wedding with his fiancee, 45-year-old nurse Rhonda Rauer [00:02:46]. After the reception, where both had several alcoholic drinks [00:03:59], they decided to stop at a Gate gas station for a bottle of wine [00:04:28].
The Initial Encounter
Upon arriving at the gas station, another vehicle, a red Dodge Durango, pulled in just before them [00:04:46]. Michael Dunn opted not to park in an open spot next to the Durango due to loud music coming from it [00:05:01]. The Durango belonged to 18-year-old Tommy Storms, who was inside the store [00:05:08]. His three friends—Leland Brunson, Jordan Davis, and Tevin Thompson—remained in the car [00:05:13].
Michael Dunn parked his Volkswagen on the passenger side of the Durango [00:05:27]. Before Rhonda Rauer went into the store, Dunn commented to her, “I hate that thug music” [00:05:43]. According to Tevin Thompson, Dunn then told them, “Can you turn the music down, I can’t hear myself think” [00:06:10]. Tevin Thompson complied and turned the music down [00:06:15].
Escalation and Conflicting Accounts
Jordan Davis, sitting in the car, then told Tevin to “turn the music back up” [00:06:30]. When Tommy Storms returned to the Durango, Tevin turned the music down to inform him of the situation [00:06:50]. Michael Dunn then asked, “Are you talking to me?” [00:06:47] to which Jordan Davis responded, “Yeah, I’m talking to you” [00:07:01]. Another witness heard someone yell, “No, you’re not gonna talk to me that way” [00:07:10].
Michael Dunn’s Self-Defense Claims
During his initial police interrogation, Dunn claimed that after he asked them to turn the music down and they complied, the music came back on [00:15:29]. He stated that a guy in the back seat became agitated, and while he couldn’t hear everything, there was a lot of “cussing” [00:15:15]. He then claimed he heard them saying, “kill him” [00:16:11]. Dunn said he rolled his window down again and asked, “Excuse me, are you talking about me?” [00:16:17] followed by “kill that [expletive]” [00:16:27].
Crucially, Dunn claimed that Jordan Davis then “goes down on the ground and comes up with something” he thought was a shotgun [00:16:35]. Davis allegedly said, “you’re dead [expletive]” and opened his door [00:16:42]. This, Dunn asserted, made him “scared [expletive] bricks” [00:16:49], leading him to retrieve his pistol from his glove compartment [00:16:51]. He initially stated he saw a “barrel” coming up on the window, either a “barrel or a stick” [00:23:54].
Contradictions from Witnesses and Forensics
Detectives challenged Dunn’s narrative regarding the weapon [00:26:42], stating, “there’s no weapons in the car” [00:26:44]. They emphasized that no stick or weapon was found in or near the car [00:27:41]. The victim, Jordan Davis, had no history of violence [00:35:37], and none of the teenagers in the car had criminal track records [00:35:58]. Independent witnesses in the parking lot did not corroborate Dunn’s claims of death threats [00:36:54].
During court proceedings, Michael Dunn’s lawyer instructed him to emphasize the threats [00:48:51]. Dunn stated that he heard “I should kill that [expletive]” [00:48:38] and that Jordan Davis was “screaming” [00:48:42]. He also claimed that after he asked, “Are you talking about me?”, Davis picked something up, slammed it against the door, and then said, “yeah, I’m gonna [expletive] kill you” while showing him a gun, specifically a “barrel” [00:49:36]. He added that Davis said, “this shit’s going down now,” a statement not mentioned during his interrogation [00:50:10].
Rhonda Rauer’s testimony directly contradicted Dunn’s claims about a weapon [00:55:00]. She testified that Dunn never told her he saw a gun, weapon of any kind, stick, shotgun, barrel, or lead pipe in the red SUV, either immediately after the shooting or on the drive home the next morning [00:55:20], [00:55:45], [00:56:00]. Forensic evidence also refuted Dunn’s claim that Jordan Davis got out of the truck; the victim remained in the truck, and the door was shut when Dunn opened fire [00:32:24].
The Shooting
Michael Dunn fired a total of 10 shots into the Durango within three minutes of pulling into the gas station [00:07:52]. The first three shots went through the back passenger side door [00:07:58]. At this point, Tommy Storms put the car in reverse and backed up at full speed [00:08:02]. The fourth shot missed, while shots 5, 6, and 7 went through the front passenger side door [00:08:06].
As the SUV performed a J-turn to flee, Michael Dunn got out of his car, aimed at the retreating vehicle, and fired three more shots into the back [00:08:12]. Dunn initially claimed he fired four shots, then four more as they fled, because he believed they had a gun [00:17:54]. However, this second volley of shots, fired as the threat was no longer imminent, became a significant legal issue [00:27:58]. He admitted during interrogation he was “at a loss to justify” the second volley [00:30:06].
Jordan Davis was struck three times, in the leg, lungs, and heart, causing him to bleed to death in under 45 seconds [00:08:46]. He was 17 years old [00:08:58].
Immediate Aftermath
Approximately 20 seconds after the gunfire stopped, Rhonda Rauer realized her fiance had fired the shots [00:09:00]. She went outside, and Dunn urgently told her to “get in the car” [00:09:13]. As they drove away, Rauer asked what happened, and Dunn replied, “I shot at the car” [00:09:40]. When she asked why, he stated, “They threatened to kill me” [00:09:58] and “they started to advance and I reacted” [00:10:11]. He also told her he didn’t hurt anyone, only shot at the car [00:10:16]. Rauer kept her thoughts to herself, planning to discuss it in the morning [00:10:43].
They returned to their hotel, where Dunn walked the dog, ordered pizza, and had a rum and coke [00:10:51]. There was almost no conversation between them the entire night [00:11:01]. The next morning, Rhonda Rauer saw news of the shooting, including the red SUV being towed and reports of a death [00:11:13]. She immediately told Dunn they needed to go home [00:12:02]. They drove straight home, with Dunn telling her he loved her during the “horrible trip” [00:12:15].
Arrest and Charges
Witnesses at the scene recorded Michael Dunn’s license plate, leading police to track him to his home in Brevard County [00:13:01]. He was brought to the JSO police department for interrogation 22 hours after the shooting [00:13:08]. During the interrogation, Michael Dunn was charged with murder and attempted murder [00:45:51]. He was remanded into custody at the Duval County Jail [00:48:00].
The Michael Dunn case would proceed to trial, where his self-defense claims would be a central point of contention [00:46:39]. He was found guilty on three counts of attempted murder on February 15, 2014, receiving a 90-year sentence, and later an additional life sentence without parole for murder [00:56:20].