A woman yesterday told jurors she could not understand why a neighbour she never spoke to, who had an issue with her son over a small scratch on his car, had shot at her.

Mr Camilleri then fired two shots from the roof and hit her, her son and their dog. The dog died three months later

“I was covered in blood… it started pouring out of me. He hit me in the face, breast, chest, back and legs…Why did he shoot at me… What fault did I have if he had an issue with my son? I am innocent. I only learnt his name after this happened,” Maria Galea said.

Their dog was injured too and died three months later, the woman testified in the trial by jury of Carmelo Camilleri, 61.

He is pleading not guilty to trying to kill her and her son Clint when he fired a shotgun at them outside their Mosta home on August 8, 2009 at about 5 p.m.

Ms Galea said that some time before the shooting, Mr Camilleri, whom she had never spoken to before, stopped her while she was walking home and told her that her other son had damaged his car.

During his testimony yesterday the son, Massimo, explained he had accidentally reversed into Mr Camilleri’s car but he had immediately agreed to pay for the damage. He thought the matter had been resolved.

Ms Galea said that on the day of the shooting she was having an afternoon nap at about 4 p.m. when she heard someone call out to her son Clint. It was a friend who had gone to pick up a fishing rod and her son went out to hand it to him.

She heard shouting outside, went to see that happened and saw Mr Camilleri walk away, grumbling.

Her son went back inside the house and, soon after, she heard a shot. She initially thought it was noise from the village feast. She then looked out into the road and saw Mr Camilleri holding a shotgun outside her house.

She ran away from the door and he fired the second shot. Meanwhile, her husband, a coach driver, called and asked her to prepare a shirt as he was on the way home and had another job to do.

It later clicked that he had to pass by the neighbour’s house to get home. She told her son his father was on his way and he went out to warn him. In the meantime she went to remove some clothes from the line.

Mr Camilleri then fired two shots from the roof and hit her, her son and their dog.

Marika Galea, who lived with the Galea family, said she remained inside during the ordeal. She placed her nine-month-old baby daughter under the kitchen table to protect her from any bullets that might fly into the house.

The case continues this morning.

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