Body camera worn by shooter is evidence in superblock ‘stand your ground’ trial

Video captured on a body camera played in an Horry County courtroom Thursday revealed a heated struggle between two men in the superblock area of Myrtle Beach before one of the men opened fire.

Shai David, charged with attempted murder after shooting and wounding Jack Isiah Rabon in November 2015, has asserted he acted in self defense when he fired at Rabon after, he said, Rabon attacked him.

According to evidence in a "stand your ground" hearing on his charges, David was at the superblock to collect rent from his tenants when he saw Rabon come "out of nowhere." David told police at the scene that he activated his body camera.

"I got you!" David screamed in the footage as another man, identified as Rabon is heard demanding money. "I got the money, please!" David screamed again as a struggle ensued with more screams.

Witnesses, recorded on police body camera footage, said they saw a man being attacked and the assailant running to a nearby truck. Then, David opened fire.

Five shots, spanning 17 seconds, were heard on David's footage of the encounter.

One of the shots grazed Rabon's head, according to Rabon's testimony.

Myrtle Beach police Officer Matthew Ammons testified he found Rabon lying in a pool of blood outside a superblock business. No weapons were found in his possession, he said.

Rabon testified that he was on life support for about three days at the hospital after the shooting.

But David said he was wounded too.

"He hit me really bad in my back, sir," David was heard telling officers on the scene in other body camera footage. "He beat me on my face, my back. ... It's all on video."

David told officers that Rabon had left a message on his phone a few days earlier, threatening to kill him. He said he sent the message to his attorney and carried a gun and body camera because of Rabon.

"I was talking to my wife on the phone. He came out of nowhere," David is heard on the video. "He just attacked me like a lunatic."

David told police that Rabon carried "several guns" in his truck and that he feared if he didn't shoot, Rabon would have carried out his threat to kill him.

If I hadn't shot, I'd be dead, David told police.

Rabon, admitted on the stand, to having a firearm, an "old pair of brass knuckles," several different rounds of ammunition and a "small baseball bat" in his truck that day, but said he never used any of the weapons against David.

Rabon said that he lived in a rough part of town and that he had been robbed before so he carried weapons for protection.

If the judge finds that David acted in self defense, his attempted murder charge will be dropped. The hearing will continue this afternoon.

The former owner of The Oasis Motel is also charged with possession of a weapon in connection to the shooting. Myrtle Beach Chief Municipal Judge Jennifer Wilson ordered David to stay away from the victim’s family and ordered David’s passport to be surrendered to the court in November 2015.

Nearly a dozen people gathered at the Myrtle Beach jail when David was arrested to speak in support of him and the victim’s wife also appeared in front of the judge at the 2015 bond hearing.

Acccording to police, David and Rabon got into a fight in a parking lot.

The two have had real estate dealings and a lawsuit over property was filed shortly before the shooting, according to court records. After the fight Rabon attempted to leave in his vehicle, according to an arrest warrant. David started shooting at Rabon as he tried to drive away, causing Rabon to crash his vehicle, police said.

Rabon told the court that David had been in his truck several times and knew the weapons he carried. Their relationship soured after spoiled business dealings led to a loss of revenue.

Police said Rabon got out of the wrecked car and hid behind another vehicle, but David followed him. Once David saw the victim behind a vehicle, he moved “to get a clear firing line” and fired another shot at the victim, according to David’s arrest warrant.

Check back for more on this developing story.

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Body camera worn by shooter is evidence in superblock ‘stand your ground’ trial."