Prosecutors release video of deadly St. Augustine shooting as attorney calls for ‘stand your ground’ hearing

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – On the aforesaid time that the State Attorney’s Office released surveillance video of a deadly shooting extracurricular a downtown St. Augustine bar, the lawyer for a antheral charged successful the lawsuit told a justice successful tribunal Wednesday that helium volition beryllium filing a “stand your ground” petition.

Adam Amoia, a 37-year-old concern owner, was changeable and killed successful May extracurricular Dos Gatos, a barroom connected Hypolita Street. A period later, a grand assemblage successful June indicted Luis Casado, 30, connected charges of manslaughter and carrying a concealed weapon.

After Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutors released 2 surveillance videos of the May 29 shooting. One video, which is taken close extracurricular Dos Gatos, shows Casado, who’s wearing a achromatic suit, arsenic good arsenic Amoia, who’s wearing jeans and a shot cap, and his friends. It appears there’s a disagreement, and the video shows Amoia and different man, who’s wearing a reddish jersey, slapping Casado. After Casado is struck successful the look respective times, helium pulls retired a weapon and shoots. After the archetypal shot, Amoia runs extracurricular of the camera’s viewpoint.

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In the different video, Casado tin beryllium seen with his limb extended, weapon successful hand. Then the muzzle flashes.

Casado did not look Wednesday astatine his archetypal pretrial proceeding since the indictment. He wasn’t obligated to. But, his attorney, Patrick Canan, did.

Canan told St. Johns County Judge R. Lee Smith that he’s calling for a “stand your ground” hearing, claiming Casado acted successful self-defense, which is protected by Florida law.

“It’s evidently a precise tragic case, nonaccomplishment of life, I recognize that, and my sympathy goes retired to the family,” Canan told News4Jax aft the hearing. “But I judge helium acted successful self-defense. He was successful fearfulness for his life. He was attacked by 2 radical and helium defended himself.”

Only 10 of Amoia’s household members and friends were allowed wrong the courtroom due to the fact that of COVID-19 protocols. A fewer twelve others gathered outside, mounting up a structure and a tv to livestream the hearing. They had a ample light-up motion successful his sanction and flew a banner reading, #JusticeForAdamAmoia.

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“We are household and friends. We volition beryllium present each measurement of the way,” Amoia’s younger brother, Leonard Amoia, told News4Jax. “He meant everything to each of us. He was a brother, champion friend, father, mentor. He was conscionable ever determination for you. And that’s wherefore we volition beryllium present for him -- each measurement of the way.”

Many of Amoia’s household members person been capable to ticker the surveillance video. For now, owed to the delicate quality of the case, Amoia’s household members aren’t talking astir details. They are, however, making it wide that they privation justice.

“Seeing each the emotion and enactment and each the radical of travel retired to effort to combat for justness for him, I deliberation it conscionable goes to amusement however galore radical helium touched and the benignant of idiosyncratic helium was,” Amoia’s younger member said arsenic his mother, relatives and friends wept.

At the hearing, Casado’s lawyer besides identified 58 witnesses helium wants to depose.

It’s unclear erstwhile the “stand your ground” proceeding mightiness beryllium held.

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The adjacent pretrial proceeding is Oct. 28.

Casado has been released from the St. Johns County jailhouse connected bond.

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