BEAUMONT, Texas — The Beaumont man accused of fatally shooting four men at an apartment in 2019 is claiming it was self-defense.
Lively James Stratton had gone to the apartment to retrieve his own stolen property, defense attorney Ryan Gertz said during opening statements Tuesday morning in Jefferson County's 252nd District Court.
"He went to get his stuff that someone had stolen, it was in that room, they blocked his way, they pulled out a knife and he shot them," Gertz told jurors.
Gertz claimed the four victims were armed and high on methamphetamine.
“That is textbook classic self-defense," he said before telling the jury they will learn from officers who will testify in the trial what is considered self-defense.
Prosecutor Ashley Molfino opened for the state and warned jurors that body camera video will show something that will, “shock your conscious," as she described for them four men lying on the floor, one of whom was struggling and crying for help.
Molfino told jurors they will see video of one of the victims using his final words to tell police it was Stratton who shot them.
"This is probably the longest indictment I've ever read in my entire career. It's a lot," said Molfino during opening statements.
Stratton is currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $1 million bond, according to jail records.
The deadly shooting took place on Sunday, September 29, 2019. A Beaumont patrol officer said he heard shots being fired while patrolling in the 4100 block of Highland Avenue shortly after noon, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The officer walked up stairs to an apartment and said he could hear moaning from the inside. When he entered the apartment, he found four men inside a bedroom who had been shot.
The victims were identified as Bobby Wyatt, 39, Shannon Sutton, 23, Alvin Lee Bellard, 32, and Elijah Rideau, 33, according to file stories.
Sutton and Bellard were pronounced dead at the scene. Wyatt and Rideau were still alive when the officer arrived but later died.
The officer asked Rideau who shot him. In what the officer described as a "dying declaration," Rideau said "Lively," according to court documents.
The families of the four men who were killed said all they have left now are memories.
Shannon Sutton was the youngest of the four victims. His family said he would have been 24 in October of 2019.
"He's not here. I'm just so hurt," Roslyn Sutton, mother of Shannon Sutton, previously told 12News.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
CRIME STOPPERS APP | Download the P3 Tips App
Family of Shannon Sutton said he had a then 3-year-old daughter and that his legacy will live on through her.
Kristopher Knighton, a childhood friend of Elijah Rideau, said he was a great friend and an even better father. Rideau had two sons.
"We learned a lot from each other, we have a lot of good memories. I really just hate to see he had to go because we had a lot to accomplish as fathers and as friends," Knighton previously told 12News
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.