Witnesses described the final moments of Mark Garrity's life Wednesday as the trial began for the man accused of his murder.

Taiseer 'Taz' Zarka, owner of a downtown Raleigh grocery, faces a second-degree murder charge for Garrity's April 2023 stabbing death. His defense contends he was trying to get Garrity to turn over a Gatorade he had stolen from the store, and that Garrity fought back.

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Prosecutors concede Garrity stole the drink, but say that does not warrant his death.

The state called six witnesses in the first day of Zarka's trial.

Testimony began with a showing of a 15-minute video captured by as Garrity lay in the road, bloodied and alone.

"I remember seeing a gaping wound," Bradley Froeschle said.

On cross-examination, Froeschle, a bartender at Raleigh Times, said he knew Zarka. "He's very well-liked. I'm one of his patrons," he said.

But on the day in question, Froeschle saw a crowd of people around Garrity, who was on the ground.

“I’ve never dealt with that or seen that," an emotional Froeschle testified. He told the jury that as he held pressure on Garrity's wounds the man asked "Am I gonna die?"

A second witness, Anyhia Rodgers, was inside the store when Garrity and Zarka clashed, and it was her cellphone video that was shown in court. She can be heard on the video saying, "He stabbed him. Oh my god, oh my god."

A medical examiner told the court that Garrity likely died from a four-inch deep stab wound to the heart.

A large contingent of Garrity's family, in the courtroom for the opening day of Zarka's trial, left the room when the video was shown.

Amy Garrity, the victim's mother, spoke with WRAL News ahead of the trial.

"Mark had a big heart," she said. "He saw the good in everyone. He loved life, [and] he had a lot of life to live."

Garrity said her son had never been into that supermarket before he was killed.

"(He) made a wrong turn, and was met with a lot of hate and anger," she said.

Garrity is very candid that her son was battling an addiction prior to his death, but said he was on an upward path. "He conquered it, he was on the other side of it and sober...and it's just tragic," she said.

Zarka contends that Garrity, who struggled with substance abuse, came into his store on April 6, 2023, and attempted to steal a Gatorade in the middle of the day. The state said Zarka then detained him and ultimately stabbed him to death after a fight. They expect to put Zarka on the stand in his own defense.

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