New Year’s revelry that left a gang member feeling disrespected led the man to shoot indiscriminately into a limousine, killing Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
The accused, Willie Clark, faces a string of charges, including first-degree murder, in the shooting death of Williams on Jan. 1, 2007.
“This is about a vicious assault and murder of an innocent person,” chief Deputy District Attorney Bruce Levin told jurors in opening statements at Clark’s trial.
Defense attorney Darren Cantor said Clark was being made a scapegoat.
Cantor told jurors the prosecution’s case is built on testimony from people who have pending criminal cases who are trying to cut deals with authorities and that one witness, Daniel Harris, had told cellmates he was the one who fired the shots.
Williams died almost instantly when a bullet pierced his neck.
The killing came hours after the popular cornerback played in the 26-23 overtime loss to San Francisco that ended the Broncos’ NFL season.
Two others with him in the limousine leaving a Denver nightclub were also injured.
Levin said that Williams and Broncos teammate Brandon Marshall were in a VIP section of a nightclub when members of the entourage began spraying people with champagne in celebration of New Year’s Day.
He said Clark and Harris were among those sprayed, took exception and confronted the Broncos entourage later outside the club.
The prosecution maintains that Clark got into a white sports utility vehicle in which he had a gun, caught up with the vehicle carrying the Broncos players and fired at them.
Levin concedes there were two shooters, but said the fatal round came from Clark’s gun.
Clark is a suspected gang member. He and two others face murder charges in another shooting death in Denver in December 2006.
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