Murder suspect claims self-defense in young mother’s death

A murder suspect is claiming self-defense in the shooting death of a young mother in north Charlotte.

A trial for the first of three suspects started this week nearly six years after a stray bullet killed 27-year-old Kendal Crank while she was driving to nursing school. Crank’s life ended at the intersection of North Tryon Street and East 28th Street.

PAST COVERAGE: Jury selection begins in trial of suspect in Charlotte mother’s death

Adonis Smith was charged with first-degree murder.

His defense attorney said in court on Thursday that Smith he did shoot and kill Crank, but he did so while defending himself from others who were shooting at him.

However, prosecutors painted a different picture.

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Smith walked into court Thursday before prosecutor Robert Brackett explained to the jury how it allegedly happened.

Brackett said Crank was stopped at a stoplight at the intersection when he said a black SUV pulled around her to the left with bullets flying out of it. One fatally hitting Crank in her red car.

“You will see a red Kia slowly proceed through the intersection, run into a fence and stop just across Tryon Street on 28th,” Brackett said.

Crank was in the red car.

A bullet from her left struck her in the head.

The prosecutor told the jury they will see the interview where Smith eventually told detectives he was the one firing from the SUV’s passenger seat.

“He will say he fired two shots,” Brackett said.

However, Smith’s defense attorney, Kimberly Olsinski, said her client was simply defending himself that day, shooting at two men across the street in a parking lot who she said shot at Smith first.

“Adonis Smith is scared, and he has that fight or flight moment,” Olsinski said. “And his instincts tell him to grab a gun that was in the car. And he picks that gun up and he points it out the window and he fires. And he fires at the man in the red hoodie that you will see was firing at him.”

Smith’s attorney told the jury they will hear that under self-defense, even if an innocent bystander such as Crank is hit, their client should not be criminally responsible.

“If a shooter shoots a bullet and his intent with that shot is to fire in self-defense, that intent travels with the bullet,” Olsinski said.

The first few witnesses took the stand on Thursday as well, including some of the first officers and firefighters to arrive on scene that day.

The jury was also shown gruesome pictures from the scene.

Some of them even wiping away tears as they were shown.

There won’t be trial here Friday, but it will restart Monday and could last two weeks.

VIDEO: Jury selection begins in trial of suspect in Charlotte mother’s death