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Posted on Mon, Nov 30, 2009 : 8:43 p.m.

Details emerge in 1995 Ann Arbor shootout that killed 16-year-old

By Lee Higgins

Brandi Gibbs and her friend, Tamara Stewart, ran when gunfire erupted at a block party in Ann Arbor’s Stonybrook subdivision on July 29, 1995, Gibbs testified Monday.

“We ran across the street toward Tamara’s car,” Gibbs said. “At first, we were side-by-side. Then, I was in front and I felt her hit my leg, and I thought she was telling me to get down.”

As the two crossed Hemlock Drive, 16-year-old Stewart collapsed from a fatal shot in the head - an innocent victim in a shootout spurred by a feud between rival gangs, investigators said.

On Monday, the murder trial began for 34-year-old Deondre Byrd, who prosecutors say fired a .357 caliber handgun that night, looking to settle a “beef” with William “Chuck” Taylor.

deondre_byrd.jpg

Deondre Byrd

Byrd was one of at least four people who opened fire, said Washtenaw County Chief Deputy Assistant Prosecutor Steve Hiller.

While Byrd didn’t fire the hollow-point 9mm bullet that killed Stewart, he can be held criminally responsible, Hiller told the jury in opening statements. Byrd went to the party with a gun intending to settle a dispute with Taylor and helped to get things going, Hiller said.

“He’s responsible…for every bullet that was fired,” Hiller said.

Byrd’s attorney, Anthony Chambers, told the jury at least three men had guns and attempted to kill Byrd, who was fleeing.

“Mr. Byrd is running,” Chambers said. “Mr. Byrd is trying to get away.”

On Monday, the jury heard testimony from Gibbs and five others. Witnesses included Tamara Stewart's father, Verlie Stewart Jr., brother Terron Stewart, who attended the party, cousin Lashonda Harris, who accompanied her to the party, and two Ann Arbor police officers who responded.

Harris was standing by Tamara Stewart’s car talking to some people about 20 minutes after arriving at the party. Shots were fired.

“It sounded like firecrackers to me,” she said. “It didn’t register in my head people were shooting ... A guy I knew from school was like ‘they’re shooting!’ and just pulled me to the ground.”

After the gunfire settled, Harris sifted her way through a crowd, looking for Stewart and Gibbs.

“I pushed through a crowd and that’s when I seen it was Tamara laying in the street,” she said.

It took two hours for Ann Arbor police to get control over the crime scene, retired Det. Lt. Christopher Heatley testified.

Heatley was a sergeant on road patrol that night. Between six and eight officers responded and found a crowd of 125 to 175 people, he testified.

“As we pulled up, people were screaming, hollering, running about the area,” he said. “I guess the best way to describe it was mass chaos.”

Officers had to use pepper spray to keep the crowd at bay. “Rocks and bottles were being thrown at the officers,” he said.

Gibbs, the one running with Stewart when she was killed, estimated between 20 and 30 shots were fired in a span of four or five minutes that night.

Prior to the first shot, she heard someone inside a house say, "He got his money," she testified.

Gibbs also testified she saw a man believed to be William Taylor holding a gun behind his back after the gunfire stopped.

At the same time, she admitted Monday to intentionally misleading investigators in the past and not being truthful in testimony in the case in 1995.

Her explanation: "Everything was just overwhelming. I was young."

Byrd and Taylor were charged in 1995, but the cases were dismissed when witnesses refused to testify, saying they were too scared. Taylor was fatally shot in an unrelated case at an Ann Arbor hotel in 2002.

Three other men also were charged; two were convicted, and one was acquitted. The case was revived last year after one of the men who was convicted - 33-year-old Emilio Vasquez - won the right to a new trial on appeal.

Before his second trial got under way, Vasquez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and admitted he fired a handgun in Stewart's direction that night.

Vasquez, who was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison, also agreed to testify in any cases that arose from Stewart's death.

Byrd, 34, is also awaiting trial in federal court in the shooting deaths of an Ypsilanti Township woman, her boyfriend and 14-year-old son in 2001.

Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at (734) 623-2527 or email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.

Comments

someguy734

Sat, Feb 27, 2010 : 2:40 a.m.

why is it that whenever there is a shooting or murder in A2, the police always take forever to get there???

bigblue

Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 1:40 a.m.

its going to be hard to get a conviction for the simple fact that a good attorney will tear apart the credibility of these witnesess. i was in the courtroom in 1995 when brandi gibbs ran out of the courtroom refusing to testify. plus she gave statements to the the police claiming she didn't know what happend. in reality the only reason solomon and bill were convicted was the fact they incriminated themselves during early police interviews. the credibility of the police and prosecution is even worse than that of the witnesess because they had to admit to trying to hide the fact that they had given demond brown immunity from an embezzelment charge in order for him to testify against solomon. i think the only way the prosecution would get a conviction against byrd is if they offer him a plea deal maybe some sort of package deal with the feds were he gets a 25 year sentence to be served out in federal prison. but it looks like he thinks he can beat both cases in trial. normally you don't want to test the feds but they haven't tried him and it has been 8 years since the west willow murders so their case is probally weak too.

VoiceOfTheA2Poor

Tue, Dec 1, 2009 : 11:54 p.m.

And that shooting in the LOL "PINE LAKE PROJECTS" -OMG... Happened in 2008. And Bill was also not guilty...what is your vendetta with Dolla?!?! hmmmm.

prix06

Tue, Dec 1, 2009 : 10:49 p.m.

Also check yourself as you stated person of interest. Obviously he was not the shooter. The guy who was arrested and the gun was found in his home was released on bail. Must I also say he did not appear in court and is now on the run. Who is the blame. I think AAPD slipped hard on that one. That guy is laughing hard right in their face and still yelling 7 mile ha ha. Get your facts straight and not your beliefs they mean NOTHING.........

prix06

Tue, Dec 1, 2009 : 10:39 p.m.

DianeCantor this is not about William Dollar Bill Wells. You acting like you got something personal against Wells. This is about BYRD he is the person on Trial.

DianeCantor

Tue, Dec 1, 2009 : 12:51 p.m.

Why no mention of William "Dollar Bill" Wells? He did 8 years I believe, and was a person of interest in another shooting in 2006 in the Pine Lake projects.