Prosecutors Ready to Proceed With Standard Shooting Trial

Fulton County prosecutors say they continue to investigate the shooting of a material witness who was set to testify in the trial of Jonathan Redding, an alleged gang member accused of murdering a popular bartender in Grant Park.

Prosecutors — Gabe Banks and Lance Cross — say that witness, Eddie Pugh, is recovering from his injuries and will testify in the case, which was to have started Feb. 7.

Pugh's shooting at the beginning of the month, led prosecutors to seek to delay the trial until March 7.

"Right now, we're just trying to follow that investigation to where it leads us," Banks said Tuesday night at the monthly meeting of the Grant Park Neighborhood Association.

"We're not going to jump to any conclusions at this point in time but obviously, we're concerned that it happened so close  in relationship to the witness having to  testify in the case."

Redding, whom prosecutors say is a member of the "30 Deep" street gang, is accused of shooting popular Southeast Atlanta bartender John Henderson Jan. 7, 2009 at the former Standard Food & Spirits Bar in Grant Park during a robbery.

Redding also is charged with an armed robbery of a Standard employee Dec. 21, 2008.

He was indicted last May in a 24-count indictment charging him with felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and armed robbery among other crimes.

Pugh, whom prosecutors say had nothing to do with the murder, s a critical witness in the case because because Redding was shot during a Jan. 9, 2009 home invasion of Pugh's apartment.

Investigators were able to tie Redding to the Standard murder via shell casings found at Pugh's home.

Pugh, who was shot in the hip earlier this month resulting in a leg amputation, remains in the hospital, Banks said.

"He is willing to testify and should be able to testify in the March trial," he said.

Even without Pugh's testimony, prosecutors believe they've built a strong case.

"We believe that we could go forward without Eddie  Pugh, however, our case is certainly better with Eddie Pugh," Banks said.

"It was just a setback that we did not anticipate, but after discussing it a little longer with our boss [Fulton County District Attorney] Mr. [Paul] Howard, we decided we needed a continuance of the case so that we could  put our best foot forward and put up the strongest case that we could."

Asked how organized the "30 Deep" gang is, Cross said it isn't affiliated with national gangs such as the Bloods or the Crips.

Outside of the Hispanic gangs, which are affiliated with national groups and mainly operate from Gwinnett and DeKalb counties, most of Georgia's gangs are loose affiliations and recruit locally.

The Atlanta-based "30 Deep" group, which started out doing retail store smash-and-grabs of blue jeans, has about 65 members, but that number is growing, Banks said.

Describing it as an uphill, battle, he said gang members and would-be gang members are targeted early.

"It really starts at the elementary school level because one of our colleagues actually went back to an elementary school he attended when he was growing up just to talk to the kids," Banks said.

"One of the third graders — while he was speaking to them — was asked 'what do you want to do, or what do you want to be when you grow up?' And he said, 'I want to be a killer or the devil.' "