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Jury in teen's trial sees videotape of shooting

Brazill and his defense team, foreground, watch as a video of the shooting is played for the jury.

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- The jury in the trial of a 14-year-old boy on trial for killing his teacher saw a videotape of the shooting Thursday.

Nathaniel Brazill is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Barry Grunow, a popular language arts teacher at Lake Worth Community Middle School. Brazill faces life in prison if convicted.

The video, from a school surveillance system, shows students walking in a hallway as a person in the distance appears to point towards an adult standing in a doorway. The figure in the doorway appears to fall to the ground and then the other person runs away, pointing what appears to be a weapon at another adult.

A forensic video expert went through the image frame-by-frame, describing the scene to the jury.

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Prosecutors have said it was Brazill.

Earlier, a friend of Brazill's testified that the teen asked him for a gun just hours before the shooting.

When he asked why, Brazill said he had been suspended for throwing water balloons, Spann said. He said he told Brazill he didn't have a gun.

The defense then tried to downplay those comments. Under questioning from defense attorney Robert Udell, Spann admitted he thought Brazill was only "playing" when he asked for the gun.

Spann remembered telling himself, "Not him. Nate?"

"Not Nate, asking for a gun, right?" asked Udell.

"Yes."

"Totally inconsistent with anything you ever knew about him, right?"

"Yes."

"OK. And he didn't appear to be mad to you, right?" asked Udell.

"No," responded Spann.

Brazill, wearing a crisp white shirt and navy blue tie, sat expressionless as his friend testified.

His attorneys insist the shooting of teacher Barry Grunow was accidental, and that Brazill, then 13, cried after the incident on the last day of school, May 26, 2000. The defense insists Brazill never intended to hurt Grunow, one of his favorite teachers.

Brazill has entered a not guilty plea.

Prosecutors say Brazill shot Grunow in the doorway of his classroom at Lake Worth Community Middle School when he refused to let Brazill in to talk to two girls.

Among the witnesses who took the stand Thursday morning was a teacher who said he heard the fatal shot and saw Brazill, carrying a gun, run from the scene.

During proceedings Wednesday, former classmates of Brazill said they saw him pull the trigger and kill Grunow.

Prosecutors painted a menacing picture of the defendant, saying the shooting was intentional and stressing that Grunow, the married father of two children, had been shot in the face.

Assistant State's Attorney Marc Shiner told the jury of nine women and three men that Brazill was angry the day of the shooting because he had been sent home for misbehaving and had recently received a failing grade.

Police say Brazill returned with a .25-caliber handgun that belonged to his grandfather.

"This young man had more than one motive to kill Mr. Grunow," Shiner said. "You're going to see in this trial that this young man had a storm brewing within himself."

Brazill's attorneys insisted the shooting was accidental and said Brazill cried after the incident.

"There was never a premeditated intent to kill Mr. Grunow," said defense attorney Lance Richard, in his opening statement. "There was never even a plan to even harm Mr. Grunow. Nathaniel Brazill admired Mr. Grunow. He loved him as a teacher. Mr. Grunow was one of his favorites."

Brazill is expected to take the stand next week.

Friend says she saw teen-ager pull trigger
May 2, 2001
Florida teen offered plea in teacher shooting
April 17, 2001
Grand jury weighs charging 13-year-old as adult in teacher shooting
June 12, 2000

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