Sidney Lee trial begins closing arguments

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The retrial of the Somerton man who shot a man and paralyzed him from the waist down ended Wednesday with the beginning of the closing arguments.

The defense of 50-year-old Sidney Lee and his attorney are claiming self defense, while the prosecution is looking for lee to be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

But before both sides started closing arguments, the man at the center of the trial took the stand.

“I’m still living a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” said Sidney Lee, the defendant.

The defendant claims he tried firing his gun but the safety was on, Lee then said he heard the victim call for a gun before he was shot.

“And he told her give me my gun or bring me my gun and she kind of did like a little a smirk and turned around went to go get it and when I heard that I say 'uh huh' and I turned and look at him and when I turned at looked at him I fired three times,” said Lee.

During this retrial, the jury was presented with home security video showing Lee shooting at the 29-year-old victim three times during a fight this past January in Somerton.

“Aggravated assault requires proof of the following the defendant committed assault it was assault, intentionally knowingly, or recklessly causing physical injury to another he admitted that,” said Joshua Tesoriero, the prosecution attorney.

In the video, they also saw the victim punching Lee in the face before he was shot.

However, the defense argued that Lee was still in the presence of danger especially considering his physical limitation.

“A 50-year-old disabled man with limited use of one arm only one eye to see out of and a service dog defended himself against a 29-year-old man,” said Daniel Curiel, the defense attorney.

Despite the claim, the prosecution states the victim had the opportunity to harm lee even more but did not.

“That’s on the video he had the gun, we saw him eject it eject the magazine, he didn’t have to do that. If he wanted to shoot Sidney he could have done it,” said Tesoriero.

Meanwhile, the defense had one more message for the jury before the day ended.

“Mr. Lee did what any reasonable person under these circumstances would have done, he defended his own life,” said Curiel.

Closing arguments are set to continue Thursday before the case is once again in the hands of the jury.

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