Copyright Enchantment Sports, and Tick Talk Media Productions, LLC
The following is a firsthand account from Enchantment Sports and three other individuals of a surveillance video in the early-morning hours of May 4, 2019, leading up to the shooting death of Jackson Weller.
The video contradicts accounts given by University of New Mexico baseball coach Ray Birmingham and athletic director Eddie Nuñez during their June 4 news conference.
In the video, Weller either walked away completely, or starts to walk away, from the scene on at least three occasions, but returns each time before being shot to death.
During the June 4 news conference, Nuñez and Birmingham did not mention that Weller had opportunities to avoid the tragedy.
Darian Bashir was arrested, is in custody and is charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty.
Enchantment Sports viewed this video on June 5, June 7, June 10 and June 14, 2019, each time with at least one other person not affiliated with the website. The still photos in this account were taken from the video.
The video is one of a number in the hands of police, but is the only one viewed by Enchantment Sports. It is about 14 minutes long.
The video has a time and date stamp, but is set one hour ahead of Mountain Daylight Time; thus when it is listed as 3:04 a.m., it is actually 2:04 a.m.
The camera that recorded the video is facing north toward The Last Call, a late-night outdoor Baja Mexican eatery. It is located on Richmond, one block north of Central.
The description:
2:04 a.m.: The first time Weller appears in the video.
Witnesses said Weller is leaving after being beat up in a fight in the alley located just to the north of The Last Call.
2:08 to 2:09 a.m.: While on Richmond, Weller turns around and appears to say something directed toward the group in front of The Last Call. A man next to Weller appears to nudge or grab Weller’s left arm, appearing to try to lead him away from the scene. Sources said the man is a Lobo baseball player.
There are a number of people in the area, but there is no commotion. Weller turns and walks south on Richmond toward Central.
2:09:15 a.m.: While walking away, Weller punches a four-foot metal object, identified by witnesses as sprinkler system. He punches it hard enough that it moves slightly off its concrete stand.
Weller then walks out of the picture. Two men and a woman are close behind Weller, including the man who nudged him.
Nobody in the group appears to be carrying food or any other item. The woman has a backpack and is walking with a man wearing a baseball cap.
2:09:25 a.m.: The man who walked away with Weller after nudging him comes back into the video. He is walking north on the sidewalk in a brisk manner by himself. He returns to the group in front of The Last Call.
2:09:28 a.m.: Weller returns to the scene, also walking north on the sidewalk toward The Last Call. He is by himself.
As Weller walks, he clenches his right fist, then shakes it with an open hand while looking at it.
2:09:33 a.m.: Weller turns back around and looks toward Central. He then continues walking toward The Last Call.
2:09:45 a.m.: Weller walks around in front of The Last Call, but soon cannot be identified in the group of people. There is no commotion and there don’t appear to be any confrontations.
2:10:50 a.m.: The man with the baseball hat and the woman with the backpack return to the area. They walk toward The Last Call, and now are accompanied by another woman. The second woman is carrying an object with two hands that is covered with foil. It appears to be a plate of food.
2:10:55 a.m.: People are talking to each other in different groups, and a man on the sidewalk is selling flowers. All appears peaceful.
Sources said the alleged shooter is somewhere in the group, but has not yet been seen in the video. Witnesses said he got out of a car a few minutes before. The car is parked in the alley with its headlights on.
2:12:12 a.m.: Weller reappears in the video. He again walks away from the scene on Richmond, and again heads south toward Central. He is with the man who walked away with him earlier, then returned to the scene seconds before Weller.
Neither man is carrying any items.
2:12:17 a.m.: The man with Weller turns and says something back toward the group in front of The Last Call, and is much closer to the group than Weller. That man also makes an indistinguishable hand gesture toward the area.
2:12:19 a.m.: Weller turns around and appears to say something, then takes a couple of steps toward The Last Call.
2:12:24 a.m.: The woman who entered the video with the man in the baseball cap and the woman with the backpack, walks south toward Central on the sidewalk. She appears to be on her phone.
2:12:27 a.m.: The alleged shooter walks toward Weller and the other man in the street. The alleged shooter is followed by a woman a few feet behind him.
The woman behind the alleged shooter turns and walks back toward The Last Call. The alleged shooter is facing Weller and the man with Weller. Weller is white, and the man with him looks Hispanic or white. The alleged shooter and the woman who was behind him seconds ago are both African-American.
Witnesses said Weller is about 6-feet-2, 220 pounds and the man with him about 6-feet, 190 pounds. They said the alleged shooter is about 5-8, 140 pounds.
The three get closer together, but there is no sign of an altercation.
Two eyewitnesses said the alleged shooter is not making eye contact with the other men, and is slightly stepping from side-to-side. Enchantment Sports could not determine that from the video.
The woman on the sidewalk has stopped, and still looks to be on a phone call while watching the three men in the street. She is standing alone.
2:12:41 a.m.: The alleged shooter turns away from Weller and the other male and takes a few steps toward The Last Call.
2:12:47 a.m.: Weller and the man with him step toward the alleged shooter, getting very close to his back.
2:12:50 a.m.: The shooter turns, pulls out a gun and fires a single shot into Weller’s chest.
2:13 a.m.: Weller reaches behind him, puts his right hand on the ground and lay on the ground behind a car in the first parking spot on Richmond, just north of Central.
The woman who was watching from the sidewalk starts walking toward Weller, but stops and crouches while still looking toward Weller. She appears to be on the phone the entire time.
Security guards gather around Weller and attend to him. At least one onlooker is apparently recording video on a cell phone.
The man who was next to Weller at the moment of the shooting, gets on a phone while rapidly pacing back and forth between the sidewalk and Weller. He is the only one displaying a sense of urgency. Another man on the sidewalk throws his hands in the air, but there is not much other commotion.
Witnesses said the police arrived within five minutes, but that is not on this part of the surveillance video.
Mark Smith has worked in New Mexico sports media for more than four decades, and is one of the most decorated sports journalists in state history. Smith has won more than 30 combined awards in print, television and radio. He is the editor in chief of Enchantment Sports. Contact him at mark.enchantmentsportsNM@gmail.com.
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