Edited:
Defense, prosecutors clash over graphic evidence during Parkland high school shooter trial
By Daniell Scruggs and Taylor Lang
WPBF News
Wednesday, July 20
5:34 p.m. Court ends for the day. It will resume Thursday morning.
2:45 p.m. - The defense brought up the motion to stop playing surveillance footage as part of witness testimony again. The defense is concerned the continual playing of the footage will change the perception of Cruz.
Judge Elizabeth A. Scherer reiterated that the video being shown is unedited evidence and will continue to be shown. The same argument was made Monday morning and the judge denied the motion.
"You are making the entire argument over again each and every time," said Scherer.
The state said there are several forms of evidence that will continue to be brought up as part of the trial.
The defense said the "court is limiting us to access the record" and a meeting had been requested to discuss items like videos before the trial, but was denied, and items such as this are issues that could cause appeals.
The judge disagreed.
2 p.m. - Court resumes.
12:30 p.m. - Court breaks for lunch.
12 p.m. - Ivy Schamis, then a teacher at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was leading students through a discussion about the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany when star swimmer Nick Dworet correctly responded that Adolf Dassler founded the Adidas shoe company. He then added that Dassler’s brother founded the rival Puma brand.
It was then that they heard the first gunshots in the hallway, and Cruz began firing his semi-automatic rifle through the glass on her classroom door.
“It was really seconds later that the barrel of that AR—15 just ambushed our classroom,” Schamis testified, wiping her eyes with a tissue. “It came right through that glass panel and was just shooting everywhere. It was very loud. Very frightening. I kept thinking about these kids who should not be experiencing this at all.”
She said the students scrambled to find safety behind furniture, but didn’t panic and acted with bravery and maturity as they waited to be rescued. Three students were wounded in her class and two were killed: Dworet and Helena Ramsay, both 17.
When shown their portraits, she began to weep.
“That’s my girl, Helena Ramsay,” she said. “Nicholas Dworet, handsome boy.”
Dworet’s brother Alexander was grazed by a bullet in a classroom across the hall, where three students were killed and several more wounded.
11 a.m. - Court resumes.
10:30 a.m. - After hearing student and teacher accounts of the day, the court took began its morning break.
9:30 a.m. - Court begins with the first witnesses.
Before court - Court is expected to begin at 9 a.m. with more witnesses taking the stand and evidence shown to the jurors.
https://www.wpbf.com/article/florida...trial/40627591
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