A MAN alleged to have shot a Southampton man dead told a court the victim had pulled the gun on him, a court heard.

Jemmikai Orlebar-Forbes told a jury he arranged a drug deal over the phone with Jahmel Jones at a flat in St Mary’s, Southampton, minutes before the fatal shooting.

The 20-year-old told Winchester Crown Court how he was in the bedroom of the property when he heard an argument erupt after Jahmel and his friend Jason Hoitt had arrived at the front door.

He said: “There was definitely an argument which called me out of the room.

That’s when I saw Isaac (Boateng) on the floor curled up and Mr Jones and Mr Hoitt were both towering over him.

“I said something like ‘get aw ay from him’ , and that’s when Jones re alised I was in the hallway and then he was marching towards me going into his waist and that’s when he pulled out the firearm.

“ As he was coming close he was trying to point it at me and I reacted instinctively and grabbed hold of the hand with the firearm in it and then we were grappling and seconds later a shot went off.

“I was trying to prevent him pointing it at me but I still had my hands on his hands and the gun and another shot went off and that’s when he just dropped and went limp.”

Orlebar-Forbes admitted taking the gun as he left the property and later searching the Internet for ways to destroy it over fears it had his finger prints.

He said: “I was looking to dispose of the firearm but I didn’t use any of these methods.

“I put it in a dog bin at a common near my mother’s house and that was the last I saw of the fire arm.”

Orlebar-Forbes, Boateng, 23, and their co-accused Pierre Lewis , 20, all of whom are from London, deny murder but have pleaded guilty to supplying Class A drugs.

A four th defendant, Rachel Kenehan, 35, denies assisting the trio and perverting the course of justice.

Proceeding