A Gary man is on trial for allegedly killing his marijuana dealer.

Tyrone Reno, 34, of Gary, was charged Nov. 20, 2023, with murder and a firearms enhancement. He has pleaded not guilty.

Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Dafoe said Tuesday in opening arguments the shooting happened within five minutes after Reno showed up at Quintez Johnson’s apartment to buy “some weed.”

There were two kids in the apartment in another room. After the shooting, when they called a woman for help, she thought it was a “TikTok prank,” Dafoe said.

Defense lawyer Natalie Williams said prosecutors gave a “one-sided story.”

Just because a man – on the apartment security cameras – looked like Reno, didn’t mean it was him, she said.

“It’s not enough to show he’s probably guilty,” she told the jury. “We’re not saying anyone is lying. We’re saying mistakes happen.”

Gary Police responded Nov. 15, 2021, to an apartment building on the 1300 block of W. 5th Avenue for a homicide.

Detectives found a trail of marijuana up the stairs to an open Pringles can inside a third-floor apartment. Johnson, 31, was lying on the sofa. He had been shot twice in the head. There were no signs of struggle.

Security cameras showed a man — later identified as Reno — arriving at Johnson’s apartment, then fleeing about three minutes later. He had a handgun and a marijuana bag. Police believe Johnson was shot around 2 p.m.

While a patrolman was writing a report at the Gary Police Station, 555 Polk St., a man who matched the one seen on the video walked by him and a colleague. He was wearing the same clothes, including a black hoodie with white lining and brown tag.

The other cop approached him. Reno gave his name but he wasn’t arrested since the man in the video wasn’t identified yet.

When Det. James Nielsen later interviewed him, Reno said one picture “looks like me,” while the second, he admitted, “that’s me,” Dafoe told jurors.

A witness said Johnson started selling marijuana a month earlier to help pay his bills.

Investigators used “facial recognition software” to help match security footage outside the Gary Police station to the man seen at Johnson’s apartment.

The case is before Judge Salvador Vasquez. Deputy Prosecutor Milana Petersen is also assigned.

mcolias@post-trib.com