A Chatham County jury found Cedric Laurel, Jr. guilty of two counts of aggravated assault with intent to rob, OCGA § 16-5-21 a 1, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, OCGA § 16-11-106 b 1. Laurel appeals from the denial of his motion for new trial, contending the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions and that the trial court improperly responded to a question from the jury. Finding no error, we affirm. 1. Laurel contends that the evidence adduced by the State does not support his convictions. When a criminal defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his or her conviction, “the relevant question is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Citation omitted; emphasis in original. Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U. S. 307, 318-319 III B 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979. The jury, not this Court, resolves conflicts in the testimony, weighs the evidence, and draws reasonable inferences from basic facts to ultimate facts. Id. “As long as there is some competent evidence, even though contradicted, to support each fact necessary to make out the State’s case, the jury’s verdict will be upheld.” Citation and punctuation omitted. Miller v. State , 273 Ga. 831, 832 546 SE2d 524 2001. Viewed in this light, the record reveals the following facts.
On December 31, 2002, Cedric Laurel, Jr., Maurice Mincey, and Michael Ponder robbed the M & S Market in Savannah, Georgia. Michael Ponder, who was armed with a loaded .25 caliber pistol, led the group into the store. Laurel carried a plastic bag for the money. Mincey acted as look-out. All three men wore masks. Ponder leapt onto a meat counter, pointed his pistol at the store’s owners, and forced them into a corner. Ponder went behind the front counter and tried to open the cash register, but failed. Laurel was also unable to open the register. Ponder forced one of the store owners to open the register, but the man was unable to comply because the register’s lock mechanism was broken. As the owner struggled with the register, he heard a loud bang, and assumed the men were shooting. The owner grabbed a revolver he had hidden nearby and shot and killed Ponder. Mincey and Laurel fled, and the owner’s wife called to police.
