From: jcs
Michael Dunn, a 45-year-old software developer, was involved in a fatal shooting incident at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida, on November 23, 2012 [00:02:49]. Following the event, Dunn claimed he acted in self-defense, a claim that was extensively scrutinized during his interrogation and subsequent trial.
Initial Claims of Self-Defense
While incarcerated at Duval County Jail, Michael Dunn stated he was the victim, claiming he was “preyed upon” and “fought back” because he refused to be a victim, which then led to his incarceration [00:01:18]. He asserted that he insulted “these boys” by asking them to turn the radio down, and for that, “they were going to kill me” [00:01:49].
During the drive back to the hotel with his fiancée, Rhonda Rauer, Dunn informed her he “shot at the car” [00:09:45] because “they threatened to kill me” and “started to advance” [00:10:00]. He claimed he shot “at the car” and didn’t believe he hurt anyone [00:10:21].
Interrogation Narrative
During his interrogation by police, Dunn presented himself as the victim, stating he had “no other choice but to take the action he did” [00:14:45]. He recounted asking the occupants of the red Dodge Durango to turn down their music, which they initially did [00:14:47]. He claimed a person in the back seat became “really agitated,” uttering profanities [00:15:17]. The music then came back on [00:15:29].
Dunn stated he heard them saying “kill him” [00:16:11] and then “kill that [\h__\h]” [00:16:27]. He then claimed one of the occupants “goes down on the ground and comes up with something” he “thought it was a shotgun” [00:16:35], yelling “you’re dead [\h__\h]” and opening his door [00:16:42]. In response, Dunn retrieved his pistol from the glove compartment, stating he was “scared” and “in such a panic” [00:16:50]. He mentioned practicing with guns and having friends in the military who showed him “the proper way” [00:16:59].
He initially claimed he shot four times, and then, as the SUV pulled away, he fired “four more times because they were fleeing” [00:18:03]. He felt the need to continue shooting to “keep their heads down to not catch any return fire” because he still believed “they had a gun” [00:18:10]. He claimed he didn’t “feel safe” and was “scared” [00:19:54].
Challenges to Dunn’s Self-Defense Claims
Investigators strategically questioned Dunn to reveal inconsistencies in his story, aiming to destabilize his narrative [00:21:01].
Lack of Immediate Reporting
Detectives questioned why Dunn did not call the police immediately after the shooting, even from the safety of his hotel room [00:21:56]. Dunn claimed he wanted to return to his hometown to report it and was “still afraid” [00:21:59]. Detectives contrasted this with another case where an individual involved in a self-defense shooting called 9-1-1 immediately [00:23:09].
Contradictions and Lack of Evidence
A major point of contention was the alleged weapon seen by Dunn. He initially stated he saw “a shotgun” [00:16:40], but later changed his statement to seeing “a barrel” [00:23:54], then admitting it could have been “a barrel or a stick” [00:24:32]. The detectives revealed that “there’s no weapons in the car” [00:26:44] and nothing resembling a stick or weapon was found [00:27:40].
Prosecutor's Argument
The prosecution argued that Dunn’s emphasis and “dramatic pauses” during his recollection of the event, along with “complementary remarks to his gun handling skills,” suggested he was boasting rather than traumatized [00:17:31].
Shooting a Fleeing Vehicle
Detectives pressed Dunn on the second volley of shots, asking why he fired “four more shots into it” when the truck was “backing away from you” and was “no longer a threat” [00:27:58]. Dunn admitted he was “at a loss to justify what I did on the second volley” other than thinking they “were going to be shooting back” [00:30:06].
Victim’s Position and Background
Forensic evidence refuted Dunn’s claim that the victim was getting out of the truck [00:32:25]. The victim was hit by three bullets that went “right through the door” while he was “sitting in the back seat” [00:31:18]. Investigators also noted the victim, Jordan Davis, was 17 years old with “no history of violence” [00:35:37], making the claim of a death threat less credible. Other occupants of the car also had no track records of violence [00:35:52].
Conflicting Accounts of Threats
Detectives pointed out the difficulty in hearing a conversation about “killing him” while simultaneously claiming the music was so loud he asked them to turn it down [00:37:34]. Independent witnesses in the parking lot did not corroborate hearing death threats, only “jaw-jacking back and forth” and cursing [00:36:50].
Detective
“If there was a shotgun coming up here we would expect you to do what you did. The problem that we have is that there is no shotgun.” [00:40:59]
Fiancée’s Testimony
Rhonda Rauer testified that Michael Dunn never mentioned seeing a gun or any weapon in the red SUV at any point—neither after the shooting, at the hotel, nor during the two-hour drive home the next morning [00:55:20], directly contradicting Dunn’s statements.
Trial Presentation and Outcome
During the trial, Michael Dunn presented his self-defense claims with significantly increased emphasis and conviction, as instructed by his lawyer [00:48:51]. He introduced new details, such as hearing “this shit’s going down now” from the victim, which he had not mentioned during his initial interrogation [00:50:10].
Dunn also displayed emotional distress on the stand when discussing his fiancée and their puppy, Charlie, portraying himself as a “man of clear nobility and selflessness” who protected his loved ones [00:52:56]. However, the prosecution highlighted that no similar emotion was displayed when he described the moment he took Jordan Davis’s life [00:53:48]. The jury had access to his initial interrogation, allowing them to compare his shifting narratives.
On February 15, 2014, Michael Dunn was found guilty on three counts of attempted murder [00:56:20]. Seven months later, on October 1, he was rendered an additional life sentence without the possibility of parole for the murder of Jordan Davis [00:56:31]. His appeal was denied on November 17, 2016 [00:56:35].