Crime & Safety

Dooley on Trial for Manslaughter in Fatal Twin Lakes Playground Shooting

Trevor Dooley is accused of shooting and killing his Twin Lakes of Brandon neighbor David James at a community playground in front of his then 8-year-old daughter. The trial in a Tampa courtroom continues for a second day today, Nov. 14.

 

The manslaughter trial continues today for Trevor Dooley, 71, a former Hillsborough County School District school bus driver accused of fatally shooting a father in front of his 8-year-old daughter in a playground at the Twin Lakes of Brandon community in Valrico.

Attorneys were expected to complete jury selection today, Nov. 14, for the trial that got under way yesterday.

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Dooley, who lived across the street from the playground, is accused of shooting and killing his 41-year-old neighbor, David "D.J." James, who reacted when Dooley reportedly flashed a gun after yelling at a skateboarder to clear away from the park.

"It was my fault," the anguished skateboarder, Spencer Arthur, told a dispatcher, according to a Dec. 14 report posted at Tampa Bay Times. "He [Dooley] got mad at me because I was skateboarding. I didn't know what the rules are. I don't live there."

Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Arthur had reportedly asked James, who was at the basketball court Sept. 26, 2010 to shoot hoops with his daughter, if it as okay to skateboard. Dooley reportedly shouted for the boy to stop and he did. That's when James and Dooley started an exchange and confrontation that led to James' death.

Dooley's defense attorneys argued for a "Stand Your Ground" defense, a motion that was denied by a judge earlier this year.

A reporter from WTSP.com reported live outside the courthouse Nov. 13, hours before jury selection was to begin at 8 a.m. The video of that report, posted online, gives a recap of the case.

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