Isaac Alexander Bachman, 19, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of 14-year-old Dakari James, of Fort Dodge, on June 17, 2023, in the 1200 block of First Avenue North.

In opening statements Wednesday, Webster County First Assistant County Attorney Brad McIntyre said Bachman and James were friends, but a “war of words” led up to the shooting.

“The two were arguing about small things, things that bother young people,” said McIntyre. “The defendant was upset because he thought that James had disrespected his girlfriend. James was upset because he had been called a slur by the defendant’s girlfriend.”

McIntyre said that threatening messages via Snapchat and text messages showed that both Bachman and James were angry and wanted to fight one another.

According to the state, James came to Bachman’s residence where Bachman opened the gate and was ready to fight, but James closed the gate. After more words were exchanged, Bachman again opened the gate and James closed it. At that point, McIntyre said Bachman grabbed a gun, pointed it at James, and shot him.

After being shot, James got up, yelled for someone to call an ambulance, ran a short distance, and then fell to the ground.

“The first thing Bachman did after shooting Dakari James is turn to his girlfriend, kiss her and tell her ‘I would kill anyone for you,’ said McIntyre.

McIntyre added that the jury would hear testimony from Bachman that the two were friends and that he’d never before seen James carry a weapon.

“The defendant then goes into the house, tells everyone inside that it was self defense and a few minutes later, calls 911,” said McIntyre.

However, Judd Parker, Bachman’s defense attorney, told jurors that the state doesn’t have the evidence to prove that his client murdered James. Instead, Parker said this is a case of self defense and of Bachman standing his ground to protect himself and his home.

“It’s opening statements like that that are the reason you need to wait and see the evidence yourself,” said Parker. “We can all have different conclusions based off of the same events. We can all see the same thing happen and have a difference of opinion on what happened. The state calls this murder, but they do not have the evidence.”

Parker told jurors that this will be an “emotional and difficult case” but that once they see the evidence, he believes they’ll see that it was self defense.

Parker also noted that when police arrived on scene, Bachman told them that he had shot James in self defense, that he didn’t pursue him, and that he set down the weapon and voluntarily told law enforcement where it was.

“Instead of hearing all that we (attorneys) say, when you see the video evidence you can draw some inferences and thoughts about it,” said Parker. “What you’ll immediately see is that my client was inside his own yard surrounded by a six-foot wooden privacy fence with the gate hanging on by metal hooks and latched. You’ll see a person come up to the gate. He was loud, angry and screaming. That person, Mr. James, came to do my client harm.”

Parker told jurors that it was Bachman who closed the gate repeatedly while the two were arguing and that the defendant voluntarily provided law enforcement with information and the weapon after the shooting.

“Isaac Bachman is imperfect,” said Parker. “Isaac’s’ words were far from perfect and it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that Isaac’s words made Mr. James mad. That might make you not like Isaac or not like his decision, but we have to put aside those feelings and look for the truth.”

Following opening statements, McIntyre called Fort Dodge Police Officer Andrew Lane to the stand. Lane, a six year veteran of the Police Department, said he encountered Bachman in an alley behind the residence after being dispatched to the crime scene. Forty-nine minutes of footage from Lane’s active body camera was introduced as evidence and shown to the courtroom.

“He tried to break into my gate. I shot him. It was self-defense,” Bachman calmly stated in the body camera footage shown Wednesday. “I think I shot him in the belly and chest.”

When Lane approached the scene, Bachman stated that he had set the gun down and unloaded it.

“He slammed the gate in my face,” Bachman told Lane. “I’m not worried about it. I’m going to be straight with you guys. I don’t feel good about it.”

The trial continues today at 9 a.m. at the Webster County Courthouse.