A man accused of carrying a gun during the Boxing Day shootout that left Jane Creba dead made a startling confession in court.
Louis Raphael Woodcock, 22, said that at the time of the shooting, he was still sucking his thumb.
He told the jury he was seen walking with one arm in his coat to hide the habit – not to conceal a weapon.
Woodcock said he had conquered his thumb-sucking habit in jail because it is "a sign of weakness."
Woodcock, 22, is facing a charge of second-degree murder, as well as six counts of attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
The Crown alleges that he was holding a gun that was fired into the crowd on December 26, 2005. However, it was likely not the gun that killed Creba. The Crown is on record that the lethal bullet was likely fired by Jeremiah Valentine.
Woodcock testified in court that just before the shootout, he saw Valentine pull out a gun.
He also said that he saw Jorrell Simpson-Rowe draw a weapon.
He then heard “pow pow” noises. He testified that didn’t know why Valentine fired.
"As soon as I seen [Simpson-Rowe] pull the gun I knew what was going to happen. I could feel it,” Woodcock said.
He said he did not fire a gun, nor did he pass a gun to anyone.
“I didn't do nothing at all to cause that,” Woodcock told the jury.
Creba, 15, was shot and killed while shopping with her family on December 26, 2005. Six bystanders were also wounded.
In 2008, a jury found Simpson-Rowe guilty of second-degree murder in Creba's death. A youth who cannot be identified was found not guilty of manslaughter in January 2009. Four adults also accused of manslaughter saw their charges dropped in November 2009.
Valentine, 27, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in January, 2010, and was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 12 years.
One man, Tyshaun Barnett, 22, is still on trial for second-degree murder.