Witness testifies to seeing Kori Muhammad shoot man in face during Fresno gun rampage
Jill Christensen was in her office at Catholic Charities when she heard six loud gunshots the morning of April 18, 2017.
She jumped up from her desk, looked out the second story window and saw accused killer Kori Ali Muhammad slowly coming into view.
Christensen, the former finance director at Catholic Charities in Fresno, was testifying Thursday during the third day of Muhammad’s murder trial.
He is accused of killing four men, three of whom were slain in the downtown area of Fulton and Mildreda avenues: Mark Gassett, 37, David Jackson, 58, and 34-year-old Zackary Randalls.
Carl Williams III, a 25-year-old security guard at a Motel 6 in central Fresno, was killed about a week earlier.
Muhammad, who faces the death penalty, has sporadically attended his own trial, wasn’t present Thursday. Judge Jonathan Conklin cautioned the jury from reading too much into his absence.
During her testimony, Christensen said she saw Muhammad raise his arm and begin firing a .357 revolver towards a group of people at a bus stop on Fulton Avenue.
“The people at the bus stop got up and ran, but there was one gentleman who was using a cane and he could not move very quickly,” she said.
Muhammad easily caught up to the man, later identified as David Jackson, 58. As Jackson starting moving towards the Catholic Charities parking lot, he turned slightly to his right, only to find Muhammad within several feet of him.
“And that’s when he discharged his weapon,” Christensen said. “It was evident he was hit in the side of the face.”
Christensen collapsed near the entrance of the parking lot. Crime scene photos taken that day showed a large pool of blood on the asphalt, medical supplies from paramedics, and blood stained baseball cap and glasses belonging to Jackson.
As Muhammad continued walking towards Catholic Charities, Christensen initiated a lock down, yelling to staff that there was an active shooter outside.
Catholic Charities security guard Jesus Melgoza testified the scene at the agency was chaotic.
“It seemed like people were in panic mode,” he said. “I rushed to see what was happening, and that’s when I heard someone yell ‘gun.’”
Melgoza went outside the building and saw one of the shooting victims laying on the ground, bleeding from the face.
Muhammad faces the death penalty if found guilty. His attorneys Richard Beshwate Jr. and Antonio Alvarez have said their client has a history of mental illness, including schizophrenia, delusions and hearing voices.
Two court-appointed doctors have already found him incompetent to stand trial. A third doctor, hired by the prosecution, said he is competent to stand trial.
The trial continues Friday in Dept. 72 of Fresno County Superior Court.
