“This case is about a 47-year-old father of three who went to work on November 1, 2007 and never came home,” a Suffolk County prosecutor told a Superior Court jury today during an opening statement in the murder trial of 19-year-old GARY JOHNSON.

Johnson (D.O.B. 10/28/89) is charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm, and possession of ammunition, for his role in the fatal shooting of Dorchester business owner Mumin Manavoglu, during the course of a robbery.

Assistant District Attorney Cory Flashner told jurors that Manavoglu – an immigrant from Turkey who became an American citizen – “was living the American dream” when he and a friend opened Stalex Pizza on Norfolk Street.

On the day of the shooting, Flashner said, “the American dream became the American nightmare.”

“He went from a store-owner, father and husband, to a victim of violent crime,” he said.

Flashner told jurors that on the day of the shooting, Manavoglu got up early as he did every day, and went over to the pizza shop at about 6:30 a.m. to begin doing food preparation and to manage employees. The shop served breakfast, lunch and dinner in addition to pizza, Flashner said. Manavoglu and his co-owner were working in the restaurant at about 9:30 a.m. when a man, later identified as Johnson, wearing black clothing and covering his face with the sleeve of his hooded sweatshirt, walked into the establishment brandishing a handgun.

Johnson pointed the gun at Manavoglu’s partner and demanded money from the cash register, Flashner said. After putting approximately $80 in a plastic delivery bag, Johnson ran out of the store.

“At that time, Mumin made a decision that his money was not going to walk out that door,” Flashner said.

Manavoglu chased Johnson and was able to get close enough to engage in a struggle with the defendant, Flashner said. Johnson then grabbed the gun from a pocket and fired a shot behind him. The shot did not strike anyone, but caused Manavoglu to fall to the ground. Johnson continued to run down Norfolk Street towards Edson Street; Manavoglu got up and again gave chase.

“When Mumin got somewhere near the corner, Johnson turned and fired a second shot,” Flashner said. The bullet penetrated Manavoglu’s nose, going up his sinus cavity, up into the skull, and into the back of his brain, where it remained lodged until his death two days later, he said.

Within seconds of the shooting, Boston Police officers on routine patrol in the area saw Johnson running onto Edson Street, then rapidly change course upon seeing the police cruiser. At about the same time, officers noticed a group of people gathered around the victim as he lay on the sidewalk in a pool of his own blood.

Officers followed items discarded by the defendant, which Flashner called “literally a trail of bread crumbs,” and discovered the defendant hiding near a shed in the backyard of a Woodrow Avenue home. The trail of items allegedly left behind by the defendant included a black knit cap, a black hooded sweatshirt and a pair of black pants. Officers also recovered a high-capacity 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun in an area behind Woodrow Avenue near where the defendant was found.

In a post-Miranda interview with police detectives, Flashner told jurors, Johnson admitted his role in the shooting.

“I did do it,” Johnson allegedly said during the interview. “I needed some money. That’s why I did it.”

Johnson is represented by attorney William Keefe. Testimony is ongoing before Judge Frank Gaziano in courtroom 906 of Suffolk Superior Court.