Hilton Head teen on trial for murder says fear caused him to shoot 17-year-old at Coligny
The teenager on trial for fatally shooting 17-year-old Dominique Williams nearly four years ago at Coligny Beach Park on Hilton Head Island took the stand Wednesday and admitted to a Beaufort County jury that he did, in fact, shoot Williams that night, but only in self-defense.
John Ira Duncan III — who was 15 years old at the time — testified that he hadn’t planned to shoot the gun that night but did so because he had feared for his life.
“I feel bad,” he said. “But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Duncan, of Hilton Head, was arrested and charged with murder after his family turned him in to law enforcement two days after the July 19, 2015, shooting.
He is being tried as an adult.
Aside from Duncan, the jury heard from 18 witnesses over the course of two days, including Dominique Williams’ friends who were standing feet away from him when he was shot, tourists who were nearby when the shooting happened, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies, medical experts, Duncan’s mother who saw him inside their Hilton Head home before and after the shooting.
Duncan’s testimony took the longest, lasting almost an hour and a half.
He said he knew Williams from when they attended Hilton Head Island middle and high schools together. Duncan said he and Williams got along then but didn’t talk after Williams moved away before 10th grade.
Later, Duncan reiterated the broad timeline of what led to the shooting.
On Friday, Williams stole marijuana from Duncan, he said.
On Saturday, the two boys fought each other while a group of friends watched, according to Duncan.
On Sunday, the fatal shot was fired.
In contrast to other testimonies, Duncan said the shooting was in self-defense, adding that he wasn’t angry at Williams when he saw him that day.
“I just wanted my money or my weed back,” he said.
The minutes before the shooting
Duncan testified prior to the shooting that Sunday, he and one of his friends had been walking around Coligny looking for girls.
They heard a noise nearby, he said, but couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
Then, they heard the noise again.
Duncan and his friend began to walk toward the noise when they saw Dominique Williams, Jestin Morrow and Devon Williams, Duncan said. Both Morrow and Devon Williams testified on Tuesday.
Duncan said he walked up to Morrow and as he was asking him a question, he saw Dominique Williams reach for something.
“I was afraid he might try to do something to me,” he said.
That’s when Duncan pulled his gun, which was inside a purple Crown Royal bag in the waistband of his pants.
He said he shot the gun without aiming.
He said he had never shot a gun before but was carrying one for protection that day.
He immediately ran home, he said.
“I really didn’t feeling nothing,” he said about the moments after the shooting. “I didn’t know if I actually hit something. I just felt glad that I got away from the situation.”
Duncan and Dominique Williams’ interaction lasted just a few seconds, according to a Town of Hilton Head Island surveillance video that was shown in court.
‘I can’t tell you exactly what I saw’
Duncan said he doesn’t know what type of gun he had or where he had gotten it from.
He also said he didn’t know what happened to it after the shooting.
During his testimony, Duncan said he wasn’t angry at Williams and never wanted to fight him, but that he was afraid for his life.
Counter to what multiple witnesses had testified Tuesday, Duncan told the jury he never threatened to kill Williams and that he did not say anything after firing the shot.
When 14th Judicial Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone — who is prosecuting the case — cross-examined Duncan, he asked multiple times whether he saw if Dominique Williams had a gun during the shooting.
“My vision is not that good, so I can’t tell you what I exactly saw,” Duncan said.
At that point, Stone picked up an autopsy photograph showing a close-up of Williams’ face with a bullet wound below one of his eyes and put it right in front of Duncan.
Stone asked if that’s what Dominique Williams looked like after he shot him.
Duncan denied knowing whether the bullet he shot struck anything right after the incident happened.
The defense and prosecution both rested Wednesday afternoon. Closing arguments will be heard at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Beaufort County courthouse.
This story was originally published May 8, 2019 at 6:09 PM.
