The jury heard closing arguments Tuesday and will begin deliberations Wednesday morning in the trial of Jacob Ryan Davis. He is charged with four counts of aggravated assault, stemming from an altercation that happened around 2 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2014, at Charlie’s Place bar in Great Bend.
Davis testified Tuesday that he relied on his training when he drew a handgun last year during a fight in the courtyard behind the bar. “I saw three against one,” he said of a fight involving Daniel Ramierz and his brothers Hector and Esteban, also known as Steve, against Bron Greenfeather. At the same time, Danielle McNutt, who was at the bar with Greenfeather, was in a scuffle with Daniel Ramierz’s girlfriend – Davis’s ex-wife Amber Mason.
The defense introduced police photos of what appears to be Greenfeather’s blood splattered on the courtyard floor when he was hit in the nose.
Davis said he said he thought they would come for him next.
“I was scared,” he said, becoming emotional. “I had to protect myself and I had to get the fighting to stop. I feel as if not only did I save myself – but I also saved the other two.”
Barton County Attorney Douglas Matthews said the story doesn’t add up.
“We have a disconnect,” he told the jury. “Why are we bringing a gun to a fist fight that was already over?”
 The fighting was over after Greenfeather’s nose was injured and the four victims just wanted to leave and go home, he said. That’s when Davis drew his gun.
District Judge Ron Svaty read the juror instructions at the end of the day Tuesday. For each count of aggravated assault, the jury is instructed to find Davis guilty if the prosecution has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he knowingly placed one of the victims in reasonable danger of immediate bodily harm with a deadly weapon. No physical contact is necessary.
The jury also has the options of the reduced charges of assault, or may find Davis not guilty. However, if Davis is found guilty of assault or aggravated assault of his ex-wife Mason, the jury must also consider whether it was an act of domestic violence.
The plea of self defense is based on the fact that an individual may show a firearm if it is reasonable to assume doing so could prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.