One of the four men charged in the Gwinnett County shooting deaths of two people, including a high school student, claimed self-defense in court Friday.
Enmanuel Antigua Paulino, 20, of Lilburn, does not dispute that he fired three gunshots at a car, killing Junior Lanuza-Gutierrez, 16, and Erik Vargas, 20, last month, Channel 2 Action News reported. However, defense attorney Jay Abt said his client was being attacked and feared for his life.
“There is reasonable doubt in spades,” Abt said. “He didn't fire a shot until a firearm was pointed at him from someone in the car.”
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On Nov. 13, five men in a Nissan Altima met Paulino in a parking lot off Indian Trial Road because someone was interested in buying a cellphone, AJC.com previously reported. But Detective Diego Galaso said in court that the group of five planned to jump and rob Paulino.
“After a minute, they began to assault him,” Galaso said. “Two others jumped out of bushes and assaulted him.”
Before the group could leave, Paulino ran back to his car, grabbed his gun and fired three shots at the fleeing Nissan, the detective said. One of those bullets ended up striking and killing both Lanuza-Gutierrez and Vargas.
MORE: Second suspect dies after botched Gwinnett robbery attempt
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Paulino was not arrested until two days later, when detectives determined that the threat did not justify the shooting. Galeso bluntly said that “this was not self-defense,” since the vehicle was fleeing the scene when he fired, Channel 2 reported.
The three uninjured members of the group initially lied to police that they were the victims of a road-rage shooting about 10:30 p.m., but police later arrested the trio.
Harry Richardson, 20, Anthony Esquero, 18, and Kevin Gallardo, 17, also face murder charges, since police said they were committing a felony that prompted their friends’ deaths. They remain in jail.
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Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
Lanuza-Gutierrez’s stepfather, Carlos Romero, told Channel 2 that the teenager was not involved in a robbery crew and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“This is not the way to go — just grab a gun and shoot a kid,” Carlos Romero told Channel 2. “Everybody has to follow the law, I think.”
Paulino was denied bond and remains in the Gwinnett County Jail on two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
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