Defendant in Tennessee armory shooting case doesn’t testify
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – A Tennessee National Guard recruiter charged in an armory shooting is not testifying at his federal trial.
Amos Patton told a judge Wednesday that it was his decision to not testify in his trial on charges that he tried to kill four superiors in a shooting at the National Guard armory in Millington on Oct. 24, 2013.
Prosecutors say Patton pulled a gun from a fanny pack and started shooting at fellow Guard members after he was removed from his job in a disciplinary meeting about a misconduct investigation.
Patton’s defense attorney argues Patton was trying to commit suicide, not kill his superiors, in the armory before he was grabbed by a Guard member and was wrestled to the ground, causing him to begin firing wildly.
