Temple Law student tells jury why he shot another man

Gerald Ung was composed and concise during much of his nearly two hours on the witness stand this morning, but his voice became choked with tears when he spoke about the moment he shot a man six times on a Center City sidewalk in January 2010.

"Back the f--- up!" Temple Law student Ung, 29, said he shouted while pointing his legally registered handgun at Eddie DiDonato, 24. DiDonato and three male friends had been arguing with and following Ung and his two friends on Market Street near 4th.

"And he said, 'Who you gonna shoot?' " Ung said, recalling the words of DiDonato, a recent Villanova University graduate.

"I tried to kick him away," Ung said, tearing up during questioning by his attorney, Jack McMahon.

"Did you shoot him first?" McMahon asked.

"No, I tried to kick him away first," said Ung, who lost his right boot and his balance when DiDonato grabbed his leg.

While falling to the sidewalk in front of the Fox29 television studios, Ung said, he saw sparks fly from his gun.

"He attacked me, I had to shoot him - 4th and Market," Ung shouted frantically to a 9-1-1 dispatcher whom he called on his cell phone immediately after the shooting.

A tape of the call was played to the jury this morning.

"Please don't let me die," DiDonato, shot six times, is heard saying in the background. He testified last week.

Assistant District Attorney Jan McDermott, while cross-examining Ung, asked why he didn't just cross Market Street to get away from DiDonato and his friends, and why he didn't call 9-1-1 for help before shooting the unarmed man.

Ung agreed that he could have crossed the street, but said he had no time to call 9-1-1 before the shooting because one of DiDonato friends was too close to him.

With Ung's testimony, McMahon rested his case. McDermott rested last week.

The attorneys are scheduled to give closing arguments this afternoon.