Man Claims He Shot His Friend In Self-Defense Words Over Debt Led To Attempted Murder Charge

A man charged with attempted first-degree murder believes he was defending himself when he shot his friend in the neck, his attorney said Monday.

Monday was the first day of Daniel Buckley’s attempted murder trial.

The 30-year-old Post Falls man shot Michael Byrnes, 37, of Coeur d’Alene, with a .30-30 caliber hunting rifle in December.

But Byrnes testified Monday that he never threatened his friend Buckley before the shooting.

“I really didn’t think he was going to shoot me,” Byrnes said Monday. “I just kinda thought he was trying to scare me.”

Byrnes took the stand Monday as the prosecution began presenting its case. Byrnes said he and the accused man used to fish and hunt together. He also admitted they took the drug methamphetamine together.

Byrnes told the jury that in December he borrowed $200 from Buckley’s girlfriend so he could pay bail to get out of jail.

On Dec. 10, Buckley and his girlfriend showed up at Byrnes’ house on Young Avenue. They demanded $100 Byrnes still owed them.

The two friends ended up arguing. Buckley left the house but then came back, Byrnes testified.

Byrnes testified that he walked outside his house and heard a gunshot. He saw Buckley taking aim with a rifle from across the street.

“I kept walking toward him and the next thing I know I’m laying on the ground,” Byrnes said.

He showed jurors the scars left where the bullet shot into his neck and came out through his back.

But during opening statements, Buckley’s attorney told jurors that the accused man feared for his safety and the safety of his girlfriend.

Buckley saw Byrnes walking straight for him and his girlfriend with anger on his face, said public defender Jonathan Hull.

“He sees anger and he feels terrified of Mr. Byrnes coming at him and coming at his significant other,” Hull said. “He knew Byrnes’ reputation for violence against women.”

Byrnes has two counts of domestic battery pending against him, according to court records.

Buckley, who had been drinking throughout the day, fired the first shot as a warning, then re-cocked the gun and it went off, Hull said.

When police questioned Buckley immediately after the shooting, “He was very emotional and he was saying ‘I didn’t mean to do it, I didn’t mean to do it,”’ Hull told jurors.

Buckley’s trial is expected to last three days.

, DataTimes