JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
A 14-year-old boy shot during a robbery at his family's Jackson hotel two years ago testified Friday against the man suspected in the shooting.
Om Patel spent a month and a half in the hospital, had multiple surgeries and still has the bullet lodged in his abdomen. Om spoke exclusively with WLBT Friday about the shooting and his feelings about testifying.
"I was very afraid of seeing the people that actually shot me right here in front of me two years later," Om said.
Bennie Gunn, 25, is on trial for a five-day crime spree in 2010. Gunn is facing charges for capital murder, carjacking, two counts of aggravated assault and armed robbery.
Prosecutors testified that surveillance video caught Gunn along with Dante Evans at the murder scene of a Jackson delivery man on Sept. 10, 2010. Both are charged in 45-year-old delivery man William Morris' death.
On Sept. 11, 2010, a man was carjacked at a Shell gas station on Terry Road. He told officers he saw two black males before going into the store. When he walked out, they were in his car. Upon trying to get them out, one of the men fired a shot. The victim ran away and the men took his Ford Focus.
The next day, the pair were allegedly involved in an armed robbery and double shooting at the E.Com Lodge off Interstate 55 North in Jackson. The clerk and the 12 year old were both shot in the abdomen during the robbery.
"I was watching tv that night and then I heard a bang and all of a sudden these two guys in wolf masks come and shoot me. And they say me the money and they leave," explained Om.
Investigators testified in court that both testimonies and surveillance footage show the two men entering the hotel through a back door wearing the masks. They also testified that the footage showed the men crossing I-55 on foot after leaving the hotel.
Gunn's trial started Tuesday and is expected to last into next week.
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