SAN ANTONIO – A military veteran on trial for murder is claiming it was all in self-defense.
Roger McCracken is accused of the Sept. 11, 2021, fatal shooting of Ronnie Riddle.
The shooting happened outside an apartment complex in the 3400 block of East Southcross Blvd.
In court on Thursday, Le’Travion Dixon testified that he saw the entire shooting happen.
Dixon told jurors he had just walked outside his apartment’s patio when Riddle walked by and he asked him if he wanted to smoke marijuana.
At that point, Dixon said that McCracken’s wife pulled into the parking lot, and when she got out of the car she approached Riddle.
“She walked up to Mr. Riddle and said bitch you need to keep my name out your mouth,” Dixon said.
Riddle, Dixon said, was surprised and asked what he did wrong, it was then he said that he heard McCracken who was further down the sidewalk.
“I hear like a low pitch voice say don’t call that word or something and then I hear a gun cock and start shooting,” Dixon said.
He said everything happened so fast but he remembered Riddle had his arms up as the shooting started and stumbled away.
It was later determined that Riddle did have a gun on him but Dixon said he never knew he was armed and that Riddle never instigated anything.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Joseph Hoelscher challenged Dixon’s testimony and questioned him about his marijuana use and how it affected him.
Dixon said he smoked because it calmed him down and that he remembered everything from the night of the shooting and that he even remembered McCracken calling 911 and staying at the scene until police arrived.
According to online court records, while McCracken has no prior record, Riddle had been previously convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Riddle’s background can’t be brought up during the trial as it was suppressed in pretrial motions.
Testimony will continue on Friday morning.
If found guilty, McCracken faces five to 99 years or life in prison.