Alleged gunman in Jazmine Barnes' killing denies involvement
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Alleged gunman Larry Woodruffe denies any involvement in the high profile killing of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes.
Woodruffe, 24, and Eric Black Jr., 20, are both charged with capital murder in the case.
A tipster led investigators to Black and Woodruffe. Black allegedly confessed and implicated Woodruffe.
During a court appearance Thursday, Woodruffe's attorney says he denies any involvement, saying he wasn't even present at the time. Woodruffe is claiming Black is the one who fired the deadly shot.
His attorney also filed a motion for a change of venue, saying the local law enforcement posts on social media are inappropriate and could prejudice a potential jury pool.
Authorities say Woodruffe has said that he wasn't involved, but his phone records put him "in close proximity" to the scene of the shooting, according to court documents.
TIMELINE: Jazmine Barnes' death and search for killer
Investigators say Woodruffe was the gunman who fired eight shots into Jazmine's mother's car early on Sunday, Dec. 30, killing the 7-year-old and injuring her mother. The shooting was reportedly a case of mistaken identity, with the gunfire stemming as retaliation from an earlier fight that didn't involve Jazmine's family.
Woodruffe was arrested on an unrelated drug charge on Saturday. The capital murder charge was filed Tuesday afternoon during Jazmine's funeral.
Jazmine Barnes: What we know about 7-year-old murdered
On Woodruffe's now-deleted Instagram, a photo was posted after the deadly shooting of the co-defendants. In it, Woodruffe is showing off a fan of cash. Black is flashing gang signs.
Tuesday night, Woodruffe's gang affiliation got the attention of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. On Twitter, he retweeted Houston Police Officers Union President Joe Gamaldi saying, "There are too many gangs in Houston. We must expand the Texas Anti-Gang Task Force in Houston to clean our streets of this trash and restore safety."
Jazmine's mother was driving Jazmine and her three sisters southbound on the East Sam Houston Parkway feeder road near Wallisville Road at about 6:50 a.m. on Dec. 30 when they were fired upon by someone in another vehicle. Court records also show casings collected from the scene matched a gun found at Black's home.
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