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Passers-by rushed to help gunshot victim Kevin McKinley, jurors in murder trial of Michaela Sargeant at Maidstone Crown Court told

Kevin McKinley was fatally shot in Merryweather Close in February
Kevin McKinley was fatally shot in Merryweather Close in February

Passers-by rushed to the aid of a man they found slumped on the ground after hearing two gun shots, a murder trial has heard.

Jacob Gregori and his wife Nisu Rahman were walking home from Dartford station at around 8pm on February 12. When they reached the Wickes car park in Overy Street, they heard two shots.

A jury of seven men and five women at Maidstone Crown Court heard another couple, also walking back from the station in the same direction, also heard the shots.

Kevin McKinley, 32, of Louvain Road, Stone, had been fatally wounded.

Michaela Sargeant, 25, of Overy Street, Dartford, denies murder and manslaughter.

Her partner, 26-year-old Lewis Wickenden, of the same address, denies assisting an offender and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

In a statement read out in court, Mr Gregori said: "I served in the Cypriot army. I can safely say I recognise the sound of a gun being fired.

"About 50 metres away I could see one guy slumped on the floor. Another person ran towards Merryweather Close and jumped over what I think was a garden fence.

"The couple walking in front of us stopped as well. The guy turned and said to me ‘did that guy just get shot?’ and we jogged towards him.

"I saw a lot of blood around the tops of his thighs. Two people immediately ran over from another direction and one started applying pressure to his wound.

"I heard the guy trying to breathe, but it just sounded like a lot of gurgling."

A police car close to the spot where Kevin McKinley was shot in Dartford - where floral tributes were laid
A police car close to the spot where Kevin McKinley was shot in Dartford - where floral tributes were laid

Mr Gregori's wife supported his account in her witness statement and added: "After the shots, it went quiet. So quiet, it was unnatural.

"I stayed back at first. I could see blood coming out of the man and someone shouted 'call an ambulance'.

"While I was on the phone to the ambulance I was stood on the roundabout and saw a car drive towards me. I moved and he drove over the roundabout. He was driving erratically, and didn't have his lights on.

"He looked at me and I saw that he was a white male, in his late 20s with spikey hair. I didn't recognise him and I'm not sure I would if I saw him again.

"Other people started to come out of their homes, but nobody came out of the house on the corner, next to where the man was laying.

"Then another man come up and shouted 'who shot my brother'.

The case was heard at Maidstone Crown Court
The case was heard at Maidstone Crown Court

Jennifer Pratt was another witness on the night. In a statement read out in court, she said she and another woman were walking down Fulwich Road when they heard the gun shot.

She said: "We are both first aiders. There was another chap with him, his cousin. He was cradling his head and saying ‘Kev stay with me’.

"Down the road there was a silver VW car and a small boy was sat inside.

"I asked the cousin who it was and asked him to move the car so the boy didn’t see what was going on."

The trial continues.

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