A man who was allegedly shot in the face outside his Invermay unit in December has given evidence in a preliminary proceeding hearing in the Launceston Magistrates Court.
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Jake Harley Hattenschwiler, of no fixed address, and George Matthew Jeffrey, of Mowbray, have been charged with attempted murder over the shooting.
Both men have pleaded not guilty.
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The court heard on the day of the shooting Wol Yel and two friends were hanging out at his Herbert Street unit when two unknown men wearing backpacks walked in about 9.30pm.
Mr Yel said he asked why the men walked into his unit without knocking and the intruders allegedly said they were going to hurt him.
It was alleged one of the men was holding what Mr Yel believed was a fake pistol, leading to a verbal argument in the unit, which spilled outside into the courtyard.
The court heard one of the men pointed the pistol at Mr Yel's chest, but he wasn't concerned because he thought it was a toy gun.
Mr Yel told the court he saw lots of guns when he lived in Sudan, which was why he was confident the pistol was a replica.
But one of the intruders produced another gun from his backpack, the court heard.
"I was ready to fight him then the small man shouted 'shoot him, shoot him'," Mr Yel said.
The alleged victim said he saw the man pull the trigger and heard a sound but nothing happened.
"I thought it was not real," he said.
Mr Yel told the court the man did something with the gun, aimed and fired again.
Mr Yel allegedly saw a flash, heard a bang and then realised something was wrong with his left eye.
The court heard he was wearing sunglasses when he was shot.
Emergency services were called and Mr Yel was taken to the Launceston General Hospital, the court heard.
Tasmania Police First Class Constable and ballistics expert Stephen Denholm also gave evidence on Thursday.
He told the court he visited Mr Yel in hospital after the alleged shooting to examine his injuries, which he found were not consistent with a bullet wound.
While inspecting the homemade gun allegedly used to shoot Mr Yel, Mr Denholm found the loose barrel was creating head space and it didn't have a traditional trigger.
"The trigger was part of the bolt mechanism," Mr Denholm said.
The court heard the gun had a pull-and-slide trigger and was built to discharge .22 calibre ammunition.
During cross examination, Mr Denholm was asked about the impact salt shots would have.
He said a bullet needed weight and speed, so it needs something with enough energy to cause the wound Mr Yel sustained. Mr Denholm told the court the homemade gun was not tested using salt shots, but it could be done upon request. The accused were remanded to reappear in the Launceston Supreme Court on July 22.