A San Diego television sportscaster described the February shooting outside his Scripps Ranch home and how, after he saw holes in his clothing, he realized he was "in bad shape" and crawled for 50 feet to get help.
Kyle Kraska said a man he had hired to paint his house threatened him in the days before the Feb. 10 shooting.
It was Mike Montana who approached his silver Mercedes and told him, “You should’ve paid me my $2,200,” the KFMB-TV sportscaster testified.
Kraska said Montana walked around the vehicle, aiming a gun and firing several times.
When he saw bullets piercing the hood of the car, Kraska said he realized he was in terrible danger.
Several gunshots shattered the back window of Kraska's car's in the cul-de-sac south of Scripps Ranch Parkway.
“I looked down and saw holes in my clothing. I saw blood,” Kraska testified explaining how he ducked for cover and tried to keep the car between himself and the shooter.
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“I was hoping he would run out of bullets at some point,” Kraska said.
After the shooting stopped, Kraska said he crawled 50 or 60 feet to another road to try and flag down someone to help.
On Tuesday, Michael Montana, 54, sat in a downtown San Diego courtroom and listened to Kraska’s testimony in a preliminary hearing.
He was taken into custody hours after the shooting. A countywide manhunt led investigators to an El Cajon home where Montana was arrested after a SWAT standoff.
Montana faces charges of first degree attempted murder with allegations the crime was premeditated, as well as charges of making a criminal threat and shooting at an inhabited vehicle.
On Tuesday, prosecutors entered a note into evidence that was left under Kraska’s front doormat in early February.
The note was signed by Montana and said, in part, “The work is good enough for you to keep using it. It’s in your best interest to pay me the money you owe me."
Kraska had agreed to pay Montana $2,200 once his house was painted. However, Kraska says Montana quit before finishing the work.
The sportscaster testified he had advanced $800 for supplies to Montana but refused to give him any more money in advance.
"The quality of the work was not what I expected,” Kraska said describing overspray on the lawn and trees as well as equipment that didn’t work properly.
Under cross-examination, Kraska said he could be considered an overly-particular person.
He also said he selected Montana to paint his home because he felt he needed the work and seemed enthusiastic about the job.
Kraska in the hospital for approximately six weeks and had to undergo a second round of surgery for a heart condition brought on by the gunshot wounds.
Montana has pleaded not guilty. If he is held over for trial, he will face 38 years and four months in prison if convicted.
