Connor Manns found not guilty of attempted murder by ACT Supreme Court jury

The ACT Supreme Court jury found Connor John Manns, 25, guilty on Wednesday of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm.

He was found not guilty of attempted murder after more than a day of deliberations.

Manns did not deny firing a .25 calibre pistol from a moving car towards another man, who fled and hid behind a tree on a suburban Casey street and remained unharmed.

At the heart of the trial was the shooter's intent and whether he meant to hit or simply scare his target.

Supporters in the public gallery were heard loudly sighing in relief as a not guilty verdict was read on Wednesday.

Some were heard crying following the man's guilty verdict.

The incident in question took place in the early hours of November 21, 2021, after the two men planned to meet for what the victim believed would be a "fist fight".

After some confusion about a meeting location, Manns, driving a white Volkswagen Golf R, spotted the victim walking down an empty suburban road.

Manns fired two shots from the car window before doing a U-turn and firing off a third, none of which hit the man he was feuding with.

The jury previously heard the gunshot sounds and saw the white car driving on closed circuit television footage played in court.

Defence barrister James Maher told the jury his client should only be found guilty of discharging loaded arms in an act endangering life, the lesser of three possible charges resulting from the shooting.

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Mr Maher said several text messages Manns sent to a friend following the incident bragging about his alleged intent to kill were merely an example of his client "talking shit" and displayed "fake bravado".

"I tried to kill him last night," Manns said in one message.

"His temple was in the sight. Three times."

The jury also previously heard a series of text and Snapchat messages Manns sent prior to the shooting, in what was described as a "war of words".

He told the victim that he "wanted to see blood" and that he was going to put "nine holes" in him.

The offender also told the victim's on-again-off-again partner that he "would do life for this, IDGAF" and that he was "going to make the people you love cry".

"The accused's own words", prosecutor Marcus Dyason argued in his closing address, proved Manns' intention to kill.

Each side, respectively, told the jury to either consider or disregard Manns' seemingly poor aim as telling of his true intent.

Mr Maher said testimony from a firearms expert demonstrated one of the three shots fired on the morning in question had been aimed downwards, towards a road or footpath.

This evidence, the barrister said, was inconsistent with an intention to kill.

Manns had previously pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to make a threat to cause serious harm.

Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson adjourned the matter to next week.

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