‘Loud Music’ Shooter Michael Dunn Receives Life Sentence Without Parole
Michael David Dunn, the Florida man convicted of first-degree murder for the shooting death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis, has been sentenced to life without parole. In November 2012, Dunn got into an argument with four teens sitting inside their SUV over the volume of their music. He subsequently fired a gun 10 times into the vehicle, killing Davis. Dunn also earned an additional 90 years in prison on three counts of attempted murder and 15 more for firing a gun in an occupied vehicle, according to NBC News.
A jury found Dunn guilty of murdering Davis in October at the conclusion of the second trial for Dunn, after the original trial ended in a hung jury. “This case demonstrates that our justice system does work,” Judge Russell Healey said at the sentencing. Racial tensions have surrounded the case, as Dunn is white and Davis came from an African-American family. The shooting occurred months after the death of black teenager Trayvon Martin.
Prosecutors in the Dunn trial did not pursue the death penalty.
Throughout the trials, Dunn claimed self-defense, maintaining that he thought he saw a gun in the teens’ vehicle. After the shooting, Dunn drove away, but did not notify authorities. Upon investigating, police found no gun in the teens’ SUV, and witnesses said they had not seen any weapon.
“We didn’t get justice for Jordan,” Davis’ father, Ron, told CNN before the second trial in September. “No matter what happens to Michael Dunn, whether it’s a hung jury or whatever, I still have that loss. That’s greater than any other verdict.”