An argument over a football game led to the fatal shooting of a 3-year-old boy in the Mirror Lake subdivision last spring, according to the prosecutor in the case.

The murder trial of a man charged with the shooting began Tuesday with opening statements and the testimonies of the child’s parents.

Colby Davidson, 20, of Douglas County is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault for allegedly firing nine shots with an automatic handgun into a neighbor’s home on Sycamore Lane in Villa Rica during a dispute between two families. Judah Tucker was killed.

“Mr. Davidson is charged with a horrible, brutal, senseless murder,” said Douglas County District Attorney David McDade, who is trying the case for the state.

McDade said the initial argument between members of the Tucker and Davidson families at the bus stop that eventually led to the shooting was allegedly over a youth football game.

During the initial argument, which involved Davidson’s 14-year-old sister and some younger children, Davidson intervened, according to McDade.

Melvin Tucker, the father of Judah, testified that one of his sons alleged Davidson had fired shots in the air during the bus stop incident. Melvin Tucker testified he went to the Davidson house to speak to the defendant’s mother, but was halted when he was confronted by the frantic 14-year-old sister.

Later, another verbal altercation that also included the parents of the Davidson and Tucker children in the Tuckers’ front yard led to Davidson allegedly firing shots into their residence, which resulted in the shooting death of Judah, McDade said.

Following the incident, Davidson returned to his home and allegedly hid in his attic with a reloaded gun, McDade said. No more shots were fired, as a hostage negotiator, accompanied by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT), convinced Davidson to turn himself in peacefully, according to testimony.

“It was the negotiator’s job to make sure SERT officers did not have to respond,” said Douglas County Sheriff Phil Miller from the witness stand.

Defense attorney Monica Myles said in her opening statements that Davidson did not commit a “brutal, horrible murder.”

“There is a difference between causing a death and committing a murder,” she said, adding Davidson was scared and provoked into the shooting.

Veronica Tucker, the mother of the victim, testified that her family had only lived in the area since October 2006, the month they moved to Mirror Lake.

“I’m angry that I brought my kids to a neighborhood I thought was safe, and it wasn’t safe,” she said.

Veronica Tucker testified she recalls telling the defendant he would “die by that same gun” after Davidson allegedly patted one of his pockets as a way to let Melvin Tucker know he owned a handgun.

In his testimony, Melvin Tucker said he told the defendant, “If you pull that gun, you’d better use it” after Davidson had patted one of his pockets.

“I just knew in my heart my friend would not do that to me,” Melvin Tucker said of Davidson’s decision to fire a round into the Tucker residence. “He knew there were little kids in that house, and he just opened fire on us.”

Melvin Tucker said he considered Davidson a friend prior to this incident, claiming the defendant had visited his home the day before the shooting incident.

Other witnesses on the stand Monday included Janice Parkinson, a Sycamore Lane resident who said she saw the entire shooting incident from her bedroom window. Parkinson testified she initially thought Davidson was holding a toy gun prior to the shooting.

Larry Castrenze, another Sycamore Lane resident, said he also witnessed the incident and called 911. He claimed to have heard both Davidson and Melvin Tucker claim to have a gun.