RALEIGH -- The defense began laying out its case Monday in the Chad Copley murder trial in Raleigh.     

Copley is charged with killing 20-year-old Kouren Thomas, who was attending a party in Copley’s neighborhood, in August 2016.

The defense set the scene by taking jurors back to the night when the shooting took place along Singleleaf Lane in Raleigh.

The first witness called to the stand was one of the first officers on the scene of the shooting. He said the crowd was agitated and started yelling slurs at officers. Police started detaining people, cuffing them and putting them on ground because they didn’t know who shooter was.

A neighbor, Cynthia Nixon, was also called to the stand. She shared her account of that night when she woke up to noise outside her home. She also described a little bit about Copley's character, calling him good-natured.

Right before the morning recess, a private investigator, Michael Grissom, was called to testify. He examined the scene about one week after the shooting took place and said he did not see any signs of forced entry.

One juror called out sick with the flu Monday morning so an alternate juror took that person's place.

Meanwhile, the defense says they have as many as a dozen witnesses they plan to call to the stand. Therefore, the trial is expected to last at least another week.