Stoney Rock Gifford, 33, is being tried for first-degree robbery and intimidation with a dangerous weapon of Wallace “Wally” Brady, of Fort Dodge.

Gifford allegedly robbed Brady, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car in the 100 block of Avenue M West, and shot him in the leg shortly before 3 a.m. on Aug. 22, 2020. Brady was transported to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Testimony on Wednesday showed that Brady’s injuries were likely minor as he was walking up stairs the following day.

Gifford was also charged with going armed with intent, willful injury causing bodily injuries and possession of a firearm by a felon, all Class D felonies, and all with the habitual offender enhancement.

Brady took the stand in Gifford’s trial on Wednesday afternoon. He testified that he had gone to the Westridge Townhomes on Avenue M West on Aug. 22, 2020, with Breanna Leners, who had testified earlier in the day. The two intended to drink alcohol and smoke methamphetamine, both Brady and Leners testified.

“Me and this girl went to an apartment … partying and things like that, and things turned bad,” Brady testified. “I got shot in the leg.”

Brady and Leners had been hanging out together long before the August 2020 shooting, both testified. Leners admitted to “using” Brady for drugs and rides, including rides to the Westridge Townhomes, where some friends lived.

Brady testified that at some point before the shooting, Leners had asked him about adding her as a beneficiary on his life insurance policy, while Leners testified that Brady had told her and her mom that he was going to add her as a beneficiary.

At one point, Gifford offered to sell Brady a small handgun, the witnesses testified. According to Brady, he declined because he had no need for a firearm, while Leners testified that Brady declined because he didn’t have enough cash on him that night.

Brady testified that he did “trade” drugs with the defendant, giving the defendant a small amount of methamphetamine in exchange for two ecstasy pills.

Leners, who admitted she was both drunk and high on methamphetamine that night, testified that she was sitting on the front steps of the apartment talking to Brady, who was sitting in his car with the driver’s side door open, when she saw the defendant walk up from behind the car.

“He pulled out the gun and he told Wally to give him all his s—,” Leners testified. “Wally says ‘I don’t have it … you’ll have to shoot me.'”

Gifford then shot Brady in the leg and ran away, Leners continued.

Leners said she saw Brady the day after the shooting.

“He was more worried about me than himself,” she said.

She also said Brady told her who he believed shot him.

In his opening statements, First Assistant Webster County Attorney Ryan Baldridge asserted to the jury that although no gun was ever recovered in the case, that is not evidence that the defendant did not shoot the victim.

“Police officers don’t always have every piece of the puzzle,” Baldridge said.

Defense attorney Judd Parker started his opening statements noting that the key to his defense is that all of the charges came from the same incident and that his client is completely innocent because he wasn’t there.

“They just got the wrong guy,” Parker told the jury.

Parker highlighted the fact that Leners’ ex-boyfriend Dylan Reiter was arrested for shooting at Brady about a month prior to the August 2020 incident, and Reiter had gotten out of jail the same day Brady was shot in the leg, implying that Reiter could be a more suitable suspect.

During testimony from FDPD Officer Jacob Naatz, Parker highlighted that it took just four minutes from the time the dispatch about a shooting was issued to when Naatz arrived on scene, and that Naatz hadn’t seen Gifford in the area when responding to the shooting.

Leners testified that she had only known Gifford for a few weeks but was exchanging “flirty” Facebook messages with him at that time, including messages about the alleged life insurance policy.

After the shooting, Leners was also charged with first-degree robbery, but asserts she had nothing to do with Gifford’s alleged actions.

During the days and weeks following the shooting, law enforcement attempted to interview Leners. During one phone interview with then-FDPD detective Larry Hedlund, Leners said she didn’t know anything about what happened, though she would later admit to witnessing the incident.

Leners admitted to likely being high at the time she had the phone call with Hedlund.

“Half of the stuff I said wasn’t true,” she said.

Leners is a recovering addict, she testified, and has been sober and drug-free for one year and three months.

Parker asked if drugs impact Leners’ memory. Leners answered that they have.

Brady’s testimony will continue this morning.