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Man guilty of killing Florida teen in argument over loud music

Michael Dunn, convicted of first-degree murder at his second trial, said he fired into an SUV, killing a black teenager, in self-defense.

By Frances Burns
Jordan Davis, 17, was shot and killed by Michael Dunn. (Handout)
Jordan Davis, 17, was shot and killed by Michael Dunn. (Handout)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A man who shot and killed a black Florida teenager during an argument over loud music in a gas station parking lot was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday.

A jury in Jacksonville found Michael Dunn guilty of the most serious charge, rejecting second-degree murder or manslaughter. At Dunn's first trial earlier this year, he was convicted of attempted murder for wounding some of Jordan Davis' friends, but jurors were unable to agree on the murder charge.

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Dunn, who was in Jacksonville for his son's wedding, got into a dispute with the 17-year-old Davis and his friends when he stopped at a gas station on the day after Thanksgiving in 2012 to buy wine and chips. He fired into the teenagers' SUV, an action he said was self-defense.

Prosecutors asked why Dunn did not call 911 and stay at the gas station after the shooting if his claim was legitimate. The witnesses against Dunn included Rhonda Rouer, his then-fiancee, who was with him at the time.

Earlier in 2012, George Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer, shot and killed Trayvon Martin, another unarmed black teenager, during a confrontation in a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman was acquitted.

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Davis' mother welcomed the guilty verdict.

"We are very grateful that justice has been served," Lucia McBath said.

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