ATLANTA -- Accused “repo man” killer Justin Moore claims he did not mean to pull the trigger when he chased down the men who were repossessing his car.

At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Fulton County Detective J. Cheeks told Magistrate Judge Karen Smith Woodson that he interviewed Moore, 29, after he was captured. Cheeks said Moore claimed he thought the men were stealing his 2004 Mustang, so he grabbed his shotgun, firing once in the air and three times at the tow truck.

Moore told the detective he then hopped in his work van and pulled alongside the tow truck as it was leaving the Milan Manor subdivision in Fairburn. “He was driving with his left hand. He had his shotgun in his right hand, and he had it, I guess, pointed out the window. He said when the vehicles collided, his shotgun got wedged in between the two cars,” testified Cheeks.

Moore claimed that as he tried to pull his shotgun away, it discharged, killing Thomas, 27, of Kennesaw and wounding Willie Thackston, 36, of Cherokee County.

Thackston, the surviving repo man, told detectives what happened next. “He pretty much said that the suspect pointed the gun at him and told him if he didn’t release the car, he was going to shoot again,” said Cheeks.

Thackston said he complied with Moore’s demand and released the Mustang. Police later recovered the car near the airport. Five days after the killingauthorities tracked down Moore in DeKalb County.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Moore’s attorney tried to get him out on bond, but Judge Woodson denied the request. She also ruled there is enough evidence to send the case to trial. Moore’s next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 30.