SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -In January of 2023, Kenneth Santana-Rodriguez was originally charged with first degree murder after authorities say he shot and killed 33-year-old Trung “Michael” Tran, who worked at Touch of Beauty Hair & Nail Salon. However– court documents state the shooting only happened after another man entered the salon, started an argument, showed his firearm and threatened Santana-Rodriguez.

Documents state that Santana-Rodriguez responded to this threat by drawing his gun and firing it twice… one of those bullets striking Tran in the chest.

From the start, Santana-Rodriguez’s attorneys argued that this was not an instance of first-degree murder, but rather a clear case of self-defense.

Attorney Joseph Pacella tells Western Mass News that you have to put yourself

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