Two witnesses — a 16-year-old juvenile and a 20-year-old woman — identified Brown, whom they knew by his street name, "Meat," as the gunman who fired into the back of DeShields' head as he tried to run from the Oct. 12, 2015, confrontation at 10th and Thompson Streets in North Philadelphia.
Both witnesses described DeShields' apparent fascination with his BB pistol, which he displayed sticking out of his waistband and brandished, and said not everyone thought it was a toy.
Earlier that day, witnesses testified, DeShields had pulled out the BB pistol to break up a fight among teenage girls and showed it to a younger teenage boy.
Those incidents apparently led to the fatal confrontation with Brown, who a witness said walked up to DeShields and demanded: "What makes you think it's cool for you to pull a gun on one of my young bulls?"
Witnesses said DeShields pulled up his shirt to show Brown the pistol in his waistband. Brown grabbed DeShields' arm, DeShields broke free and turned and ran, and Brown fired once, hitting DeShields in the back of the head.
The .38-caliber revolver Brown allegedly used was never recovered. DeShields' plastic BB pistol fell from his clothing as he was lifted onto a gurney at Hahnemann University Hospital.