Judge declares mistrial in deadly Myrtle Beach bar shooting

CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) - A judge declared a mistrial on Thursday after a jury could not reach a verdict in the trial of a man accused of killing another man inside of a now-closed Myrtle Beach bar.

A jury deliberated for several hours on Thursday after prosecutors and the defense gave their closing arguments. But they could not reach a decision of whether Jermaine Gattison was guilty or not guilty of killing 26-year-old Jas’sier Wilson.

Gattison is accused of shooting Wilson multiple times inside Donny’s Saloon on March 25, 2021. Wilson died 11 days later at the hospital.

At this point, it’s not clear if the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office will try the case again.

Gattison’s defense team said in the meantime they will push for their client to receive bond so that he can be released from jail.

Wilson’s cause of death has played a big role throughout the trial.

The prosecution claims that Gattison fired the shot that led to Wilson’s death.

TRIAL COVERAGE:

But the defense called Dr. Thomas Owens, a forensic pathologist and medical examiner from Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, as its expert witness on Thursday.

Owens claimed it was odd that an autopsy wasn’t done on Wilson, especially since there was a criminal investigation surrounding the shooting.

“You need to try to rule out something else did not occur. And then, in this case, we also have the issue of gunshot wound injuries and whether or not something from those injuries caused his death,” Owens testified.

Owens added that medical reports from the hospital state that Wilson had three gunshot wounds but only one bullet was found and there’s no record of the other two.

He testified that he believes Wilson didn’t die from complications from the gunshot wounds because there’s no sufficient evidence of it.

“The medical condition of the seizure is what caused his death. I can’t say that this is a complication of the gunshot wound. It’s not like an actual infection or a bleed or something decribed to be the damage done by a gun,” Owens explained.

During Wednesday’s testimony, the doctor who operated on Wilson said he was on maximum life support and suffered several seizures and three heart attacks while in the hospital. The doctor could not give an opinion on the cause of death.

Wilson’s girlfriend previously told the court that he died after having a seizure.

Prosecutors and the defense also focused on surveillance video on Wednesday from inside Donny’s Saloon of the shooting during Wednesday’s testimony.

Detectives who took the stand confirmed that after an argument, Wilson fired the first two shots that were seen on the video. The defense has argued that Gattison shot Wilson in self-defense.

Also, during the trial on Wednesday, prosecutors suggested tacking on a manslaughter charge against Gattison, who already faces a murder charge.

The recommendation sparked a reaction from Gattison’s attorney, who said he was not even sure how to respond to that and could only tell the judge that he was going to think about it.

Police also arrested Hubert Durant in the case. He is also charged with murder. The 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said Durant’s case is still open and pending.

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