A Florida man who shot and killed a black teenager in a dispute over loud music has defended himself in court at a racially charged trial that has revived memories of a notorious case that gripped the US last year.
The murder trial of Michael Dunn has drawn comparisons with that of neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who was cleared of killing teenager Trayvon Martin after claiming self-defence under Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law.
Dunn, 47, who is white, insisted he feared for his life when he opened fire on a pick-up truck after exchanging words with the black teenagers inside, having asking them to turn their music down.
"I was just going, 'Oh my God, where is all this hostility coming from?'" Dunn told the court as he described seeing one of the teens pull out what looked to him like a shotgun.
Police did not find evidence of a gun in the vehicle and the three surviving teens testified that they never threatened Dunn.
Dunn insisted he was "in a panic" when he yanked his pistol out of his glove box as one of the teens started to get out of their vehicle and come towards him.
"This is the point where he is coming to kill me, coming to beat me," Dunn testified, according to a courtroom feed that was live-streamed.
Dunn said he kept firing as the teens drove away because he was afraid that he or his fiancee - who had rushed out of a nearby petrol station when she heard the shots - might get hit by returning fire.
Dunn testified that he had no idea he had shot and killed Jordan Davis, 17, until he saw a news alert on his phone once he got back to his hotel.
Dunn tried to convince jurors he wasn't being flippant when he ordered a pizza and had a drink back at the hotel, explaining that he did so to help calm his fiancee's nerves.
