Craig Patterson, Arlington sheriff's deputy, begins trial for Julian Dawkins" death The trial of an Arlington sheriff's deputy charged with first-degree murder has started in an Alexandria courtroom. There is no dispute over whether Craig Patterson, 44, shot and killed 22-year-old Julian Dawkins on Lynhaven Drive in Alexandria on May 22. In a chilling 911 call played in court earlier this year, Patterson, who was off-duty at the time, told a dispatcher, "I just had a young man pull a knife on me, and I shot him." At issue is whether the killing was justified. Prosecutors have argued that after an argument on the street, Patterson went to get his gun, came back and killed the younger man without justification. Dawkins did have a knife, but it was found folded and clipped in his pocket at the scene of his death, prosecutors have said in court. Defense attorneys have countered in preliminary hearings that their client acted in self-defense and suggested that Dawkins was intoxicated and threatening on the night of his death. Dawkins, a driver for PBS "NewsHour," was coming from a party at his aunt's house that night. His family was celebrating a cousin who had just been drafted by the Washington Mystics. Two witnesses testified at an earlier hearing that Dawkins and Patterson, who was staying with a nephew in the neighborhood, seemed to have been arguing about which of them had a right to be there. Willie Sydnor said he heard Patterson say, "What you doing in this territory?" and Dawkins responded, "This is my block." Sydnor said he saw Dawkins chase Patterson briefly. In his 911 call, Patterson told the dispatcher that Dawkins "approached me about being in his neighborhood, telling me it was his neighborhood." Neighbors have described Dawkins as a friendly, outgoing young man who was well-known in the area and well-liked. "He was our balm and our rock," Gwen Ifill, a "NewsHour" senior correspondent, said at his funeral, according to a transcript. The afternoon after the shooting, Patterson visited the home of ex-wife Najah Patterson and collapsed crying, she testified at a bond hearing in July. Over a dozen employees of the Arlington County sheriff's office came to that court appearance to show support for their colleague, a 17-year veteran of the department. He has been on unpaid administrative leave since he was charged.