Pizzeria Manager Testifies in Murder Case

The manager of the pizzeria where a store patron was killed during a holdup in November 2010 testified on Wednesday that he did not know who fired the shot that killed Misael Flores during the murder trial for Vincent Ethan Bunner.

Brunner, 18, is the first of four men charged with murder in connection with the robbery to stand trial. The others are Shawn Anthony Johnson, 19, and Willie Antonio McLean, 20, both of Glen Burnie, and Charles Butler, 18, of Brooklyn Park.

Saqaf Malik, the manager at Mr. Wings & Pizza, recounted the incident Wednesday, saying he was in the kitchen when he heard Flores shouting at the four assailants to leave.

"I came out of the kitchen, stopped by the side of the counter and I saw two guys having guns in their hands," he said through an interpreter. Malik's native language is Urdu.

He described the gun as being small and black.

"On first sight I thought it wasn't a real gun. I thought it was a plastic gun," Malik said through the interpreter.

"They were pointing the gun and one of them asked me to go back into the kitchen. He pointed the gun at me. I asked him what was going on and (he) said, louder, to go back to the kitchen," Malik testified through the interpreter.

Malik said it was as he began to walk back to the kitchen that he heard a gunshot. He testified he did not see who fired it.

The prosecution contends that Bunner, of the 100 block of Dunlap Road in Pasadena, and Butler are the two responsible for Flores' death. Defense attorneys for Bunner argue .

On Tuesday, restaurant  employee Casandra Buruca—who was working her first night as a clerk at the pizzeria—also . Flores was visiting Buruca during her shift.

Similar to Malik's testimony on Wednesday, Buruca .

Bunner's sister, father and a friend attended the second day of his trial and after police deputies unshackled him, he smiled when he saw his sister. He wore a blue and purple checked shirt, khakis and a tie and listened attentively throughout the day's proceedings.

According to online court records, Bunner, in addition to murder, faces related charges including first-degree assault, armed robbery and various gun offenses. 

The trial is scheduled to resume Thursday morning.