There’s no doubt that 37-year-old Patrick Cooney shot and killed Elijah Lewis during an argument in traffic in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood in April 2023, but a jury will spend the next few weeks hearing evidence and arguments about whether the shooting was an act of self defense or murder.

After nearly two years, the trial is expected to start this month for a scooter rider who is charged with murder in the death of a Seattle community activist.