Bryan Huff has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of murder in the fatal shooting of Terrence Averett last year in Mesquite.
The shooting occurred following a dispute between several people at an apartment where they were gathered. According to investigators with the Mesquite Police Department, Huff ultimately shot and killed Averett, a stranger to him, after the dispute.
Officers arrived on the scene after 911 calls and attempted to resuscitate Averett, performing CPR for three minutes before realizing he had a gun in his shorts pocket. Huff fled the scene but was arrested a week later by U.S. Marshals. The murder weapon was found in a field next to a residential neighborhood.
Ballistics evidence showed all casings and projectiles recovered were fired from the same gun. Averett was shot nine times - six in the back and legs, twice in the side, and once in the abdomen.
At trial, the defendant admitted on the stand to killing the victim but testified that he shot the victim in self-defense and to protect his brother. He told the jury the victim was reaching into his pocket to draw his weapon when he fired. The defendant said he “sensed” his brother was in fear and needed to protect him. After two days of testimony, the Jury returned in two and a half hours with a guilty verdict. Punishment was agreed with a waiver of appeal. The defendant had no prior felony convictions.
