Rahmere Dunn told a jury Thursday that Jediah Perry held a gun to his head moments before he grabbed his gun from a pocket and shot him five times. It was a “split-second choice.”
He “hoped for the best,” he said, of his odds of leaving alive.
Dunn, 25, of Whiting and formerly Hammond, is on trial for murder in 21-year-old Perry’s Nov. 12, 2021 shooting death.
Prosecutors alleged this week it was a drug deal gone bad, while Dunn’s defense lawyer said it was self-defense as he was ambushed by Perry when Dunn went to sell him marijuana.
Dunn testified that Perry contacted him over Facebook earlier that day, indicating he was looking to buy marijuana. He said he only sold a stash of marijuana to friends and people he knew.
Dunn was at a friend’s house after his shift as a forklift driver at Lear that day. He arranged to go meet Perry.
He knew Perry for a handful of years, but he hadn’t messaged Dunn for months. It was the first time Perry had bought drugs from him. They settled on $140 for two 7-oz bags.
Dunn said Gary’s Glen Park section was too far. They settled on Airport Road in Gary. Dunn ended up by mistake on 5th Avenue. He sent Perry an Apple Maps link to his location.
When Perry parked, he told him to come to his car.
It was a “weird request,” because normally a buyer went to the drug dealer’s car, but Perry was a “friend.”
There was small talk, and Dunn went back to his car to get the marijuana. Perry, in a black ski mask, gave him $40 for one bag, then said he would Cash App him for the rest. Dunn said he was checking his phone for the money when Perry drew a gun, ordering him to clean out his pockets.
Dunn said he was in “complete disbelief” and ended up laughing.
Perry ordered him one by one to empty his pockets. His last one had the handgun he pulled out and fired, Dunn told jurors. If I don’t defend myself, I’m gonna get shot, he said he was thinking.
Police were called at 8:39 p.m. Nov. 12, 2021, where officers found Perry shot dead inside his car in front of Kelly’s Soul Food, 5025 W. 5th Ave., charges allege. He died from five gunshots to the head, according to the Lake County coroner’s office.
Security video appeared to show Perry circling the block, then pulling up next to Dunn’s Chrysler 300 at 4:53 p.m.
The man, later identified as Dunn, wore a reflective vest when he got out of the 300 and jumped inside Perry’s car. He briefly went back into his car before grabbing marijuana from his vehicle. He then went back into Perry’s car before he suddenly got out, hopped back into his car and sped off on 5th Avenue around 4:57 p.m., the affidavit states.
mcolias@post-trib.com
