A passenger in a car driven by Geordie Gilmore claimed he saw one of three men accused of murder with a gun in his hand just seconds before a fatal shot was fired, a court has been told.
Mr Gilmore died from a "catastrophic brain injury as a result of a bullet wound" after he was targeted in the Sunnylands area of Carrickfergus last March.
Three men have been charged with murdering the 44-year old and attempting to murder his two passengers on March 13, 2017.
The trio are David 'Dee Dee' McMaw (30) from Starbog Road in Larne, his brother Darren McMaw (33) from Kilgreel Road in Carrick and 36-year old Brian McClean, from Valetta Park in Newtownards.
All three men have denied the charges levelled against them - which also includes a firearms offence - and are standing trial in a non-jury hearing at Belfast Crown Court.
It is the prosecution's case that David McMaw and Brian McClean were present at the murder scene, that the gunman was David McMaw while McClean acted as a look-out, and that Darren McMaw involved himself in a "scouting exercise" by following Mr Gilmore in his van prior to the fatal gun attack.
The shooting occurred after Mr Gilmore attended Belfast Magistrate's Court to support an associate charged with attempted murder.
Mr Gilmore returned to Carrick in his white Vauxhall Insignia with two passengers on board, followed by his son who was driving a Red BMW.
As he made his way to Pinewood Avenue, Mr Gilmore's son heard several shots being fired. When he arrived at the scene seconds later, he saw his father's car rolling slowly towards a house before crashing into a wall.
His son said he saw both David McMaw and McClean in the areas immediately before the gun attack.
Mr Gilmore's front seat passenger also said he saw McClean and David McMaw at the scene, and said he witnessed McMaw crouch down in an alleyway with a gun in his hand pulling a balaclava over his face.
The murdered man's other passenger saw an armed man and shouted 'gun, gun, gun'. He said Mr Gilmore tried to speed up but after shots were fired, the car collided with a wall.
The trial continues.
