A man who jumped from a balcony at his home to escape a gunman has testified in court that he instantly identified his attacker.

The witness, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said: “I knew for a fact from the second he came to the door. I knew it was him. I knew him.”

The witness told the court his cousin visited him at his Court Street apartment on May 14 last year.

He testified that he gave his cousin a ride to North Shore so he could pick up a pedal bike. They then returned to his apartment, where they relaxed in the living room.

He said he heard knocking on his downstairs door later that afternoon and went to the balcony to see who it was. He said the man at the door was wearing a red bandana over his face, but he recognised him as Jahmico Trott.

He said: “He asked me, like, three times to open the door.”

The witness said he went back inside the apartment to wake his cousin and the two attempted to run. The pair then climbed off the balcony, on to an awning and then to the ground before he climbed a fence around a nearby car park.

He told the Supreme Court he heard gunshots coming from the street and saw his cousin and Mr Trott fighting on the ground.

Mr Trott and co-accused Troy Burgess both deny charges of attempted murder and using a firearm to commit the offence. Mr Trott also denies handling a firearm and carrying one to commit an offence.

The witness told the court that Troy Burgess and others ran towards the fight.

He said that he made his first statement to police just two weeks ago, almost a year after the shooting despite his cousin and police urging him initially to give evidence.

He added: “It wasn’t until my life started getting threatened. They threatened my life. That’s why I’m here.”

He also admitted that he was arrested on warrants the day after he made the statement and had since pleaded guilty in court to a charge of wounding.

The witness also admitted that he had been convicted of previous offences and that he had two cannabis plants growing in his apartment when the shooting took place.

He said the plants were removed from his apartment by police after the shooting and he had never been charged in connection with them.

Defence lawyer Charles Richardson questioned how he could have identified Mr Trott as the gunman.

The witness told the court that he had seen Mr Trott outside his apartment “every day”.

He later accepted that Mr Trott had been off the island for several years and returned only a few months before the shooting.

He said: “Since he has been back, he hangs out on Court Street and he hung out in my yard. Every day.”

The trial continues.

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