Witnesses described hearing shouted threats and gunshots on Christmas Eve 2012 as the murder trial of Wolda Gardner and Patrick Stamp continued yesterday.

Mr Gardner, 35, and Mr Stamp, 30, have denied charges of murder in connection to the death of Malcolm Augustus, who was shot dead in St George’s at about midnight on December 24, 2012.

The jury previously heard evidence from a witness who said he had joined the defendants in searching for two men who allegedly stole cannabis from Mr Stamp.

He claimed he fled the area after seeing Mr Gardner with a gun, but returned a short while later after realising that he left his helmet at the scene. However, he said he abandoned his search for the helmet after hearing two gunshots, and ran home.

As the trial continued yesterday, two witnesses who live in the Anchorage Lane area of St George’s took the stand and recalled the night of the shooting.

The first witness said that, at about 11.15pm, she was clearing the table after having dinner with family when she heard shouting coming from near the entrance of the road.

“I stood outside the kitchen door to see where the noises were coming from and what was happening,” she said.

“Once I stood outside, I heard three loud pops. Pop, pop, pop. I wasn’t sure what it was at first.

“After the three pops, I heard someone crashing into the bamboo patch.”

She locked the doors and turned off the lights before calling a family member who lived in the area. At about 11.45pm, she went to the bathroom and heard two voices outside.

She told the court that she heard the deeper of the voices say: “I will wait all f***ing night if I have to.”

The witness told the court that she later saw a car approach the bamboo patch, shining its lights into the bushes.

“It was just after midnight,” she said. “At that point, I heard two shots and a young man screaming. I called 911.

“I was frightened — and sad. I thought I just heard someone die.”

The relative called by the witness also took the stand, saying that after receiving the call he stood outside his house to see if he could hear a disturbance.

He said that he heard three voices shouting loudly from near the entrance of Anchorage Lane.

While he said that he could not remember the exact words, he recalled one of the voices telling the others to get gasoline to burn down the bushes, and that they were not leaving until the person they were looking for was dead.

He also said that he heard what sounded like two motorcycles leaving the area.

He called 911, but continued to listen, telling the court that he heard the sound of bamboo breaking as the men walked through the bushes.

He recalled a vehicle entering Anchorage Lane and the sound of it driving over something.

He then heard one of the voices shouting: “That’s my helmet, that’s my helmet.”

The witness said he called the Police a second time to find out where they were.

The first vehicle left the area, driving towards apartments farther down Anchorage Lane, but a second vehicle arrived, which he described as a Suzuki Vitara.

He heard voices telling the Vitara driver to get closer to the bushes and, while he lost sight of the car itself, he saw the light from the headlights through the bamboo.

“That’s when I heard them say again they weren’t leaving until they get him,” he said.

“It just got louder and louder. I could hear them making their way through the bamboo bushes.

“I believe I made a check to see if any Police were coming. I still didn’t see any in the area. I made the final call when the gunshots happened.

“I said, ‘where are you? Someone has just been shot.’

“The vehicle left the area close to the bushes and made their way out towards the main road. I heard the person who was shot in agony.

“I was confused. I never expected that to happen in that area and I was just amazed that on Christmas Eve ... who would do something like that?”

Neither of the witnesses said they saw any of the men involved in the incident to provide a description.

The trial continues.