Following a jury trial, Michael Bernard Kendrick appeals his conviction for felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, contending, among other things, that the trial court incorrectly charged the jury and that he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel.1 For the reasons set forth below, we affirm. 1. Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the record shows that, on May 21, 2001, Kendrick, Timothy Copeland, and several other men, including Anthony Willoughby and Carl Tucker, were drinking outside Chapel Forest Apartments in Fulton County. An altercation arose between Kendrick and Copeland, and Kendrick struck Copeland in the head with a gin bottle2 and poured beer on him. The fight was broken up, and Kendrick and Anthony Willoughby left the premises to buy more beer. In the meantime, Copeland went home to change his shirt and returned to the gathering. Shortly thereafter, Willoughby drove up in his car with Kendrick in the passenger seat. Two eyewitnesses, Tarshea Durham and Tucker,3 saw Kendrick get out of the car and start shooting at Copeland. Copeland began running, but he was struck by a bullet and fell on the ground. Kendrick reloaded, and, according to the two eyewitnesses, stood over the fallen Copeland and shot him in the back. Both eyewitnesses testified that Copeland was unarmed, and testing of Copeland’s hands indicated that he had not fired a gun. Kendrick fled after the shooting,4 and Copeland died at the scene from the gunshot wounds. In addition, similar transaction evidence was introduced which showed that, in a prior incident, Kendrick fought with a male friend at a similar party, pulled out a gun, and shot the person with whom he was fighting in the arm.
These facts were sufficient to enable the jury to find Kendrick guilty of the crimes for which he was convicted beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U.S. 307 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979. Although Kendrick and Willoughby testified that Copeland began shooting at Kendrick first, the jury, as the arbiter of witness credibility, was entitled to disbelieve this version of the facts. See Hall v. State , 264 Ga. 85 1 441 SE2d 245 1994.
