Hearing Begins In Fatal SW Dade Strip Club Shooting Case
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A two-day hearing has begun for a woman who claimed she was standing her ground in a fatal Southwest Dade strip-club shooting.
Kimberly Matthews, 31, is charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of Terrence Henderson, 25, outside of The Office Gentleman's Club on April 20, 2014.
Police say a scuffle began inside of the strip club then spilled outside to the parking lot.
"A lot of guys. I see guys coming. A lot of pushing, me backing the crowed up, telling them just leave, just leave my brother alone. And the guys insist on coming," Matthews said in court.
Matthews' attorney says the shooting was self-defense.
"She has the right by law both under self-defense and stand your ground to meet force with force," said defense attorney Michael Grieco.
According to Grieco, Mathews' brother Colin and a friend were performing on stage inside the club when two men aggressively jumped up on stage. Those men were kicked out of the club, but when Mathews saw them with a group of about a dozen men waiting in the parking lot, her attorney says she grabbed her gun from her car for protection.
She walked over to the car where her brother and a friend were waiting. Surveillance video shows the group of men follow her. You then see Matthews' brother get out and throw a punch, setting off an all out brawl.
Matthews is seen in the middle of the mayhem trying to break it up. When that didn't work, her lawyer says she pulled out her gun and pointed it at the crowd. The fight continued and she fired the gun, fatally wounding Henderson.
"My client who has a concealed weapons permit, legally fired her firearm in an effort to protect herself and protect her brother," said Grieco. "They didn't even have the ability to run even if they wanted to, but you don't have a duty to retreat, they tried to break it up, they had a concern that they were really going to get hurt, if not killed."
Off-duty City of Miami Police officer Floyd Pinckey Jr., who witnessed the shooting, told investigators in a sworn statement that Colin threw the first punch. He stated that Henderson began to back up when Matthews pulled out her gun, but she still fired. He said he heard two to three shots.
Matthews' attorney says only one shell casing consistent with his clients gun was found on the scene.
Henderson's family did not want to publicly discuss the case.
