you see the shooter before the shots?"
Yolanda shook her head. "I wasn't looking 'round after I saw
Devin. Then I heard a gat sparking, saw Devin and the white dude both go down.
That's when I seen Strawberry. He come running by."
"That's when you first saw the person who'd been shooting? After
the shots had been fired?"
Yolanda was getting a little more agitated, but not as much as I would've expected. While it was obvious that she didn't like talking about the shooting, she was able to do so without losing her composure, which was more than most people would've been capable of. I suspected she would make a decent witness for the prosecution.
"He come running right by me."
"He ran past you?"
"That's right."
"How far away was the person who ran past you?"
"It was Strawberry," Yolanda said, raising her voice slightly. "I
seen him. He wasn't no more than ten feet away."
"Did he still have the gun in his hand when he ran by you?"
"Yeah."
"He did?" Myra said, tilting her head slightly. "You saw the gun
in his hand when he ran by?"
"Where else was it gonna be?" Yolanda said heatedly. "He wasn't
gonna leave it there."
"What I'm asking, Yolanda, is whether you actually saw the gun in his hand," Myra said, keeping her own voice even and speaking slowly, clearly trying to defuse the conversation a little.
"Sure, I saw it when he run by."
"Which hand was it in?"
Yolanda glared at Myra with open hostility. "You trying to trick
me."
"No, I'm not," Myra said. "I'm simply trying to understand what
you saw. Now, if you saw the gun as he ran past, it had to either be on the side
nearest to you or the side farthest from you. Do you remember which it was?"
"You ain't never been around when a gat went off," Yolanda said dismissively.
"The whole thing happen in, like, one second, the shooting, seeing Devin go
down, seeing Strawberry run past me. I wasn't looking for no kinda shit like
what hand he got the gun in."
"So what did you see of the man you saw run by?"
"I seen his face."
"And you'd seen Strawberry before?"
"I'd seen him around here. He do business with Devin."
"What kind of business?"
Yolanda's glare grew even sharper. "You can ask Strawberry that
your own self."
"And had you ever spoken to Strawberry?"
"I ain't got no cause to speak with him. But I seen him in the
Gardens. I seen him enough to recognize him."
"Where specifically had you seen him?"
"I seen him over at Devin's crib."
"You were over at Devin's apartment when Strawberry was there?"
"Time to time."
"Were you in on their deals?"
"Hell, no," Yolanda said, and the way she said it I believed her.
"I don't do that shit."
"Anyone you know ever have problems with Strawberry?"
"You mean, I got a reason to put this on him?" Yolanda asked, shaking her head.
"It ain't like that."
"Did you talk to police the night of the shooting?"
"That's right."
"Did you tell them you'd seen the shooter?"
"I told them I seen Strawberry."
"Did you talk to the police between the night of the shooting and
when you came to view the lineup five days later?"
"Only when that lady detective came by with those pictures she
want me to look at."
This caught my attention: it was the first I'd heard of any photographs. I felt Myra tense beside me. She cocked her head slightly, gazing intently at Yolanda.
"Detective Spanner came to show you pictures?"
Yolanda shrugged. "I don't know her name. The lady detective who
been running the po-po's case."
"What kind of pictures did she show you?"
"She want me to tell her which picture be Strawberry. I tell her I
know him if I see him in person."
"Did you look at the photos?"
"The lady detective show them to me."
"And did you pick out Strawberry?"
"I didn't pick out nobody. I told her I'd know if I see him in
person."
"So you looked at the photos, but you didn't pick anybody out?"
"I pick him out at the lineup. You was there when I pick him out."
Myra smiled broadly. "That's right, Ms. Miller," she
Yolanda shook her head. "I wasn't looking 'round after I saw
Devin. Then I heard a gat sparking, saw Devin and the white dude both go down.
That's when I seen Strawberry. He come running by."
"That's when you first saw the person who'd been shooting? After
the shots had been fired?"
Yolanda was getting a little more agitated, but not as much as I would've expected. While it was obvious that she didn't like talking about the shooting, she was able to do so without losing her composure, which was more than most people would've been capable of. I suspected she would make a decent witness for the prosecution.
"He come running right by me."
"He ran past you?"
"That's right."
"How far away was the person who ran past you?"
"It was Strawberry," Yolanda said, raising her voice slightly. "I
seen him. He wasn't no more than ten feet away."
"Did he still have the gun in his hand when he ran by you?"
"Yeah."
"He did?" Myra said, tilting her head slightly. "You saw the gun
in his hand when he ran by?"
"Where else was it gonna be?" Yolanda said heatedly. "He wasn't
gonna leave it there."
"What I'm asking, Yolanda, is whether you actually saw the gun in his hand," Myra said, keeping her own voice even and speaking slowly, clearly trying to defuse the conversation a little.
"Sure, I saw it when he run by."
"Which hand was it in?"
Yolanda glared at Myra with open hostility. "You trying to trick
me."
"No, I'm not," Myra said. "I'm simply trying to understand what
you saw. Now, if you saw the gun as he ran past, it had to either be on the side
nearest to you or the side farthest from you. Do you remember which it was?"
"You ain't never been around when a gat went off," Yolanda said dismissively.
"The whole thing happen in, like, one second, the shooting, seeing Devin go
down, seeing Strawberry run past me. I wasn't looking for no kinda shit like
what hand he got the gun in."
"So what did you see of the man you saw run by?"
"I seen his face."
"And you'd seen Strawberry before?"
"I'd seen him around here. He do business with Devin."
"What kind of business?"
Yolanda's glare grew even sharper. "You can ask Strawberry that
your own self."
"And had you ever spoken to Strawberry?"
"I ain't got no cause to speak with him. But I seen him in the
Gardens. I seen him enough to recognize him."
"Where specifically had you seen him?"
"I seen him over at Devin's crib."
"You were over at Devin's apartment when Strawberry was there?"
"Time to time."
"Were you in on their deals?"
"Hell, no," Yolanda said, and the way she said it I believed her.
"I don't do that shit."
"Anyone you know ever have problems with Strawberry?"
"You mean, I got a reason to put this on him?" Yolanda asked, shaking her head.
"It ain't like that."
"Did you talk to police the night of the shooting?"
"That's right."
"Did you tell them you'd seen the shooter?"
"I told them I seen Strawberry."
"Did you talk to the police between the night of the shooting and
when you came to view the lineup five days later?"
"Only when that lady detective came by with those pictures she
want me to look at."
This caught my attention: it was the first I'd heard of any photographs. I felt Myra tense beside me. She cocked her head slightly, gazing intently at Yolanda.
"Detective Spanner came to show you pictures?"
Yolanda shrugged. "I don't know her name. The lady detective who
been running the po-po's case."
"What kind of pictures did she show you?"
"She want me to tell her which picture be Strawberry. I tell her I
know him if I see him in person."
"Did you look at the photos?"
"The lady detective show them to me."
"And did you pick out Strawberry?"
"I didn't pick out nobody. I told her I'd know if I see him in
person."
"So you looked at the photos, but you didn't pick anybody out?"
"I pick him out at the lineup. You was there when I pick him out."
Myra smiled broadly. "That's right, Ms. Miller," she
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