Jury deliberations begin in trial for man accused of fatal Des Moines nonprofit shooting

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) - A jury could reach a verdict as early as today for a 19-year-old on trial for a double murder at an Iowa nonprofit, KCCI reports.

Prosecutors charged Preston Walls with gang participation, attempted murder, and two counts of first degree murder.

He’s accused of killing 16-year-old Rashad Carr and 18-year-old Gionni Dameron at Starts Right Here in Des Moines last January.

The program’s founder, Will Keeps, was hurt in the shooting.

The jury started deliberations after attorneys and prosecutors gave their closing arguments on Tuesday.

Walls admitted to pulling the trigger.

Deliberations will come down to whether the shooting was justified.

The defense spoke to the jury for more than an hour about the days and weeks leading up to the shooting.

They say Walls saw Dameron with a gun weeks before the shooting.

On the day of the shooting, they say Walls felt Carr and Dameron were going to shoot him, so he shot them first.

The prosecution disputed this claim by showing surveillance footage of Walls, Carr and Dameron at Starts Right Here before the shooting.

It shows Dameron riding around on a bike.

The jury will resume deliberations Wednesday morning.

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