BAY CITY, MI — According to one eyewitness, a beef between two men unexpectedly escalated to an eruption of gunfire outside a Bay City bar, and the barrage of bullets left a third man dead.

The witness, 28-year-old Alondro McCall, testified Wednesday, Jan. 28, during the trial of Cruz D. Hinds, 25. Hinds is charged with open murder, felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, and three counts of felony firearm. The charges stem from the death of Alfred Charles "Butta" Watts III, killed outside Tubby's Pub, 1301 Kosciuszko Ave., in the early morning of Saturday, May 24. Watts was shot five times.

The dispute that led to Watts' death was between Hinds and Kwame A. Mathews, McCall said.

McCall testified he has known Mathews, 38, "from around" for four or five years and has known Hinds since they were little. He also knew Watts and said Hind felt no acrimony toward him, as far as McCall knew.

The evening of Friday, May 23, McCall attended a gathering at a house and then he and others, including Hinds, went to Trix's Pub, 2307 Broadway Ave. Before heading to the bar, McCall learned Hinds had a black and silver handgun, he said.

Also at Trix's was Mathews, McCall testified. Around midnight, McCall, Hinds and a couple of women ventured to Tubby's Pub, he said.

McCall added that Hinds and Mathews had had an altercation about a month prior at Bishop's Inn, 804 S. Farragut St.

"We walked in the bar, and we were sitting there having a drink, and Kwame came up to the table," McCall said of that incident. "Cruz asked him who he was, and he wouldn't tell him who he was, and they went from there. We walked out to the side of the building, and they had words."

After this brief encounter, Hinds and McCall left the bar. That same night, Hinds told him he "wanted to squeeze Kwame." When Stroud asked the witness what that meant, McCall replied, "I don't know. Whatever he meant that to mean."

Pressed further by Stroud, McCall said that at a previous preliminary examination, he testified he believed "squeeze" meant to kill Mathews. Hinds did not elaborate on how or why he wanted to kill Mathews, McCall said.

Watts was not present during the Bishop's Inn incident, McCall said.

On arriving at Tubby's in the early morning of May 24, McCall saw Mathews was also there, he said. A few minutes later, McCall went to a vehicle to grab a cigarette. Hinds went with him, and Mathews followed them out, McCall testified.

"He was talking to us. I don't know exactly what he was saying; just talking stuff," McCall testified.

McCall said he and Hinds walked back toward the bar's door.

"I thought we were gonna get in a fight out there, walking in," he said.

Elaborating, he said he thought Hinds and Mathews were about to get into a fistfight.

As they neared the door, Mathews pulled a gun, McCall said.

"Once I seen he pulled it, I got down," he said.

Hinds then raised his own gun, McCall said.

"They started shooting, (and) I ran inside the bar," he continued, saying he heard one or two shots while still outside, and everyone scattered. "When I was inside the bar, about five or six shots rang out. Everything happened so quick."

Watts was also outside at the time, but McCall did not see where he went when the shooting started. Someone inside the bar locked the doors until the firing ceased, McCall said.

With the shooting over, people exited the bar and saw Watts lying dead on the sidewalk, McCall said. McCall said he and his two female friends left promptly after the shooting, just as police were pulling up. He ended the night back at his mother's place in Saginaw, he said.

At some point, McCall received a text message from Hinds, asking him if someone had died and to come pick him up, he said. McCall said he replied that someone was dead and did not agree to come get him.

Defense attorney Eric Proschek has maintained Hinds fired his gun in self-defense. Under cross-examination by Proschek, McCall said he and Hinds had no discussion before entering Tubby's about killing Mathews or anyone else. He added that when they left Trix's for Tubby's, they did not expect to find Mathews there.

McCall said he and Hinds were only in Tubby's for a few minutes before exiting to have a cigarette, he said. After Mathews followed them out, McCall decided against having his smoke and wanted to get back inside to avoid a confrontation, he testified.

When the guns came out, McCall said he was in fear for his life, though Mathews was aiming his gun at Hinds, he testified.

After McCall testified, 21-year-old Stephanie M. Sheltrown took the stand and said she was also at the pre-Trix's gathering. She saw Hinds there with a handgun and added she also saw McCall with it at one point. She accompanied Hinds, McCall and others to Trix's, she said.

Though she knows Mathews, she did not see him at Trix's, Sheltrown testified. After a few hours at Trix's, she went with McCall, Hinds, and another woman to Tubby's.

"I remember seeing ... Butta (Watts)," she said. "I said 'Hi' to him."

She also saw Mathews in the bar, she said.

After 10 or 15 minutes inside the bar, Sheltrown left to walk to King's Party Store. Mathews and Hinds exited the bar behind her, she testified. She was halfway through the parking lot when she heard gunshots, she said.

On hearing the shots, she hid near the back of the lot, she said. She later saw Watts' body near Tubby's, she said.

Next to testify was Bailey Swiecicki, who also visited both Trix's and Tubby's on May 23 and into the next morning with friend Rachelle Publow.

"Bailey, get down," Swiecicki said Publow yelled at her as she was smoking outside Tubby's. "I didn't really know what was going on; I just heard noise. Not until I ducked and got down did I realize what was really happening. I just kept hearing 'tinging' off cars."

She remembers seeing Mathews looking scared and possibly with his hands in his pockets, Swiecicki said.

Shortly afterward, Swiecicki saw a person lying on the ground and another person straddling over top of him, she said. She eventually drove away and later discovered a bullethole in the car she was driving.

Publow testified, as well, giving a similar account of the shooting as Swiecicki. As they drove away, she testified she also saw a person on the ground at Monroe and Kosciuszko, kicking at a person standing above him.

Both women testified that after the shooting, Hinds tried to get into their car, but they pulled off without him.

After Publow testified, Bay County Chief Circuit Judge Kenneth W. Schmidt adjourned the trial, instructing the seven-man, seven-woman jury to return for its continuation at 8:45 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30.

In connection with the incident, Mathews is charged with two counts of felony firearm and single counts of felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a weapon with unlawful intent. His trial before Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill is to begin Tuesday, Feb. 24.