Damien Abrams testified against the man he still calls “friend” Wednesday as prosecutors continued their case against Yaphet Davis of Robbins, charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 9, 1999 shooting death of Eddie Hall near University Plaza.

Abrams, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, testified that prosecutors offered him a reduced sentence of nine years, 11 months in jail on a lesser charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm if he would “tell the truth” in court about the homecoming weekend shooting. His testimony included specific details of the incident, despite counter-arguments by Davis’ defense attorney Glenn Jazwiec that his memory was better the day of the shooting than now.

“I may not know times, but I’ll never forget what happened,” Abrams said.

Abrams first detailed the day of the shooting, which he said began with an early-morning phone call from Davis’ girlfriend, Tamika Hobson. Hobson said Davis was being held “hostage” for $400 at 821 Crane Drive, the apartment complex where the shooting took place later that afternoon.

After withdrawing $400, Abrams returned to his apartment to get a gun, described as a small black revolver with a circular barrel. Prosecuting attorney Clint Hull asked Abrams who supplied the gun, which was stowed under his bathroom sink for more than a few weeks.

“Yaphet gave it to me,” Abrams said. “He told me to bring it with me when I brought the money.”

Abrams said he planned to bring more “muscle” to the situation, inviting his roommate Anthony Beckham and three others to pick up Davis. He, Beckham and Hobson headed to the apartment in one car, and the others followed.

When they arrived at 821 Crane Drive, they saw Davis on the patio waving them down, Abrams said. Hobson parked on the side of the street, and they headed toward Davis. Meanwhile, Abrams said, three men headed out of the apartment, angry because they wanted money for a windshield Davis allegedly broke the night before. Abrams took the gun from the floor of the car and placed it in his back pocket when Davis approached, followed by the men, he said.

“I introduced myself and told them and explained to them that I brought the money,” Abrams said. “They were cool, all right. Then someone yelled out, ‘The money is short’ and they started getting more upset.”

Abrams said he gave Hobson the money, which he then saw Davis take from Hobson’s hand, refusing to pay the men. Abrams handed the revolver to Davis, who chased the men toward the apartment and fired what sounded like three shots, Abrams said.

“I don’t know who he was pointing at, but his arm was extended,” Abrams said. “I turned around and ran home. Tony [Beckham] ran, too, but he didn’t get there first. I was upset, physically ill. I broke the entertainment system because I was upset.”

Hall, 27, died that night at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in Rockford.

Pressed by Jazwiec, Abrams admitted to the 12 jurors and two alternates that he had lied to police in initial statements about where he went and who told him to bring the gun. Jazwiec then asked for a mistrial and dismissal of Abrams’ testimony. Both requests were denied.

“I didn’t want to be part of it,” Abrams said. “I knew I was. I was trying to protect my friend and myself.”

Larry Blum, the forensic pathologist who performed Hall’s autopsy Oct. 11, described his findings as a 5 mm gunshot wound to the back, around the lower hip, with an “irregular-shaped” exit wound. Blum testified the bullet grazed Hall’s lower backbone, pelvic blood vessels, ureter tube and small bowel. He found no evidence of a close-range shot or marks on Hall’s hands that would indicate a fight before the shooting, despite Jazwiec’s mention of a margin of error and a fresh wound found on Hall’s arm.

Robert Hanner, a special agent in corporate security for Verizon Communications, displayed phone records showing calls exchanged between Hobson and Abrams the day of the shooting. Jazwiec pressed the prosecution’s last witness, DeKalb police Detective James Rhoades, because he viewed tapes from University Plaza across the street and didn’t enter them as evidence.

“The video contained nothing pertinent to the case,” Rhoades said.

Rhoades testified he found no bullets or a gun at the crime scene. He did present other evidence collected that day, including a leather jacket found under the trunk carpet of the vehicle Abrams traveled in.

First-degree murder carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.