NEW YORK — An auto mechanic who said he stood next to Sean "Puffy" Combs during the Club New York shootings testified that the rap mogul was ducking out of harm's way, not wielding a gun, as shots rang out.

The mechanic, Christopher Chambers, was the first witness in the four-week-old trial to directly contradict accounts that Combs had a gun. But he had trouble remembering other details of the night during his testimony Friday, which may mute any benefits his testimony will have to Combs' defense.

"I didn't see a weapon — [Combs] ducked. He went down," Chambers said.

On Thursday, several other witnesses had said they saw no sign that Combs was carrying a gun at the club. But they all acknowledged they weren't watching the rapper as shots rang out (see "Puffy Defense Opens With Witnesses Distancing Him From Shooting"). Chambers testified that he did see Combs at that crucial moment.

During two hours of excruciatingly detailed cross-examination by prosecutor Matthew Bogdanos, Chambers said he couldn't remember the date of the shootings (December 27, 1999) or when investigators working for the defense team first contacted him about testifying.

Chambers, 30, couldn't recall what kind of car brought him to the club or who drove it. He wasn't sure whether there was a line of people in front of the club when he arrived (there was a sizeable line, by all other accounts), and couldn't remember how much he paid to get inside.

Despite his claim that he stood next to Combs before the shooting, Chambers said he didn't notice the rapper arguing with anyone before the shootings began. Combs and his entourage scuffled with clubgoer Matthew "Scar" Allen immediately before the incident, numerous other witnesses have said.

Chambers did say that he saw money thrown in the air, an event that other witnesses said sparked the shooting.

Combs' lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, mocked Bogdanos' moment-by-moment questioning of Chambers.

"We just listened for two hours to every minute of this guy's life," he said.

"That's insulting," Bogdanos shot back.

Testimony in the trial of Combs, Jamal "Shyne" Barrow and bodyguard Anthony "Wolf" Jones is expected to conclude during the week of March 5, Judge Charles Solomon told the jury.

It remains unclear whether Combs' ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, will testify, her lawyer, Louis Aidala, said Friday outside the courthouse.

Aidala, a regular spectator in the courtroom during the trial, said Lopez has just returned to the U.S. after an overseas trip to promote her new album, J.Lo. Lopez accompanied Combs to Club New York on the night of the shooting.

(Click HERE for a complete explanation of the charges in the case. Click HERE for our complete trial coverage.)