Court hears of lead up to fatal shooting of Paul Carroll
The man gunned down at a remote Tablelands property threatened to kill “the whole lot of you” before being fatally shot in the chest by a childhood friend, a court has heard.
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The man gunned down at a remote Tablelands property threatened to kill “the whole lot of you” before being fatally shot in the chest by a childhood friend, a court has heard.
Paul Carroll was shot dead with an SKS semi automatic rifle at a Watsonville house in November 2021 following an afternoon drinking session that got out of hand, the Cairns Supreme Court heard on Tuesday.
The dead man’s childhood friend Ashley Fornier was charged with murder following the West Bishoff Mill Rd incident.
Mr Fornier has pleaded not guilty.
During the first day of the trial the court heard Mr Carroll and his mother Michelle Carroll accepted an invitation from Mr Fornier to come over for a few drinks.
During the second day of the trial, parents of Mr Fornier, present at the time of the shooting, took the stand.
Janet and Dereck Fornier both gave evidence at the murder trial of their son.
Crown Prosecutor Nathan Crane extensively probed Dereck Fornier on events that led up to the death of Paul Carroll.
The father said, the gathering started off amiably but turned ugly, when Ms Carroll began speaking aggressively in what he described as “lingo” he didn’t understand, the court heard.
“She wouldn’t stop going on, she just kept carrying on in her lingo,” Mr Fornier said.
Mr Carroll and his mother became involved in a heated exchange, the court heard, before they were both asked to leave the property by the accused and his father.
Mr Carroll moved to leave however his mother insisted on staying.
Mr Fornier told the court, following numerous requests to go home, an angry and aggravated Mr Carroll kicked the accused “in the nuts” and hit him twice in the head.
“He was losing his temper,” he said.
The court heard Mr Fornier left the area and returned brandishing an SKS rifle.
“Paul was saying ‘just shoot me’, and he was saying ‘you won’t shoot me’,” he said.
Moments later Mr Fornier pulled the trigger and soon after Mr Carroll was dead.
Defence barrister Brydie Bilic questioned Mr Fornier about the trigger that set off hostilities between the two friends.
She suggested behaviour of Ms Carroll, known to the party as Mich, was a factor.
She asked whether Mr Fornier agreed that Ms Carroll was raving in tongues about God and the Lord.
“One of them (Michelle and Paul Carroll) or both of them said something like no one tells me what to do ‘I’m the Prophet’ and Mich started speaking in gibberish again, is that right,” she said.
Mr Fornier responded with “yeah”.
The trial continues before Justice Jim Henry.
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Originally published as Court hears of lead up to fatal shooting of Paul Carroll
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