A murder defendant testified that he followed a man outside to get his money back, not bring a weapon inside a club during a homicide trial before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on May 19.
Cotey Wynn, 45, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his alleged involvement in a Sept. 23, 2023 mass shooting that resulted in the death of 31-year-old Blake Bozeman and injuries to three other victims at the CRU Lounge, on the 1300 block of H Street, NE. Bozeman sustained two gunshot wounds.
Under questioning from Brian McDaniel, Wynn’s attorney, Wynn testified that he had no prior interaction with the shooter, did not know Bozeman or anyone at CRU Lounge that night, and had no knowledge that a gun was brought into the club. Wynn said that when he followed the shooter outside it was to retrieve money and that he had no knowledge that the man grabbed a gun before he reached a car.
Wynn told jurors that after the first gunshot he ducked and that a hand gesture he made was directed at the shooter in confusion for why he fired in the lounge. Wynn maintained he had no plan or intent for anyone to be harmed.
McDaniel also elicited testimony about the security procedures and Wynn’s role at CRU. Wynn testified that he had worked as a promoter at the club since around May 2023, earning a percentage of nightly sales, and that security guards’ pat-down practices varied based on who conducted them. McDaniel asked Wynn to demonstrate the pat down that the shooter received the night of the incident, to which Wynn patted down McDaniel’s waistband and legs in front of the jury.
Wynn stated he went outside with the shooter prior to the incident over a concern about his table’s open bar tab. Wynn said he retrieved roughly $500 in cash from the shooter, and accompanied that man back through the security tent, where the pat down of the shooter was conducted. Wynn maintained he never asked security to skip patting anyone down and was not trying to help bring a gun inside.
On cross-examination, the prosecution questioned the lack of documentation for Wynn’s promoter arrangement. The prosecutor noted Wynn was paid in cash and could produce flyers or messages confirming contact with a guest who reserved a table through his services that night. The prosecutor pressed Wynn on his detailed memory of the pat downs against his inability to recall other nights or who had accompanied him, to which Wynn responded that the night had altered his life. Wynn reaffirmed his reasoning for leaving the bar with the shooter was to be paid.
When questioning Wynn about the hand gesture, the prosecution told Wynn that they were all adults in the room, and asked what his true intent was behind the gesture. Wynn clarified that his hand gesture meant “get the f*** outta here,” and “what the f*** you do that for?” Prosecutors asked if he was telling the shooter to escape, to which Wynn said no.
The prosecution analyzed video footage of Wynn’s position while the shooting occurred, arguing that he stood upright, rather than ducking behind the bar or laying on the ground. Wynn replied that he was bent over, not upright, and that he was frozen by fear and shock. The prosecutor also asked why it appeared in video that Wynn made eye contact with the shooter, to which Wynn said that he was looking at him out of confusion and frustration as he left the bar.
On redirect, McDaniel played the incident video at full speed, emphasizing how fast it occurred, and that Wynn did not have the time to react in the ways the prosecution described. McDaniel asked Wynn if his frozen stance or eye contact was a signal to the shooter that the plan was executed, and Wynn said no. McDaniel asked if there was any plan to be executed at all, and Wynn said no.
Wynn concluded his testimony by reiterating that he did not attempt to hurt anyone that night and he had no relation to any of the people involved in the incident.
Without the jury present, Judge Brandt denied a defense motion to dismiss the case because of the deportation of a bouncer at CRU Lounge and late-disclosed body-worn camera footage that would have accompanied his testimony.
McDaniel argued that they were not made aware of the identity of the bouncer until January, and that they were unaware the witness had been deported until halfway through the trial. The prosecution responded that they were never asked by the defense to provide additional information about bouncer or the body-worn camera footage.
Judge Brandt found that the prosecution’s conduct did not violate Wynn’s right to a fair trial, but said it fell short of the prosecution’s obligation to turn over relevant evidence to the defense before trial. She noted that the lost testimony and footage offered a different perspective rather than crucial proof, and ruled the related video could come in for the jury to weigh during the defense’s case.
The trial is set to resume on May 20.
