Terrell Davon Craig said he wanted to know the name of the 17-year-old boy he had killed.

Upon hearing the name – Joshua Scott Trahan-Mays – the 40-year-old convicted felon put down the jailhouse phone and wept.

"Tell his dad I'm sorry. Tell him I was just defending myself," Craig told The Bee during an interview Wednesday at the Sacramento County Main Jail. "I am so sorry. I wish I could tell him myself."

Trahan-Mays, who lived with his family in Carmichael, was found shot to death on a Foothill Farms sidewalk Saturday morning.

Later that night, Craig walked up to sheriff's deputies outside a north area station and turned himself in.

"I was in the right," he told The Bee.

Homicide detectives interviewed Craig and arrested him on suspicion of murder. But at his arraignment Wednesday, Craig was charged instead with a felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Craig said he has two previous felony convictions: the first for fatally shooting a drug dealer when he was 17; the second for weapons possession.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Cindy Besemer said, so far, the evidence collected in the new case does not support a murder charge.

"At this time, based on what we have been told, we feel we can only prove the charge we filed," she said.

Interviewed Wednesday afternoon, Craig recounted his version of how Trahan-Mays ended up crumpled on that sidewalk. The Bee was unable to independently verify his account, but some of the details of his story matched those released by Sacramento County sheriff's officials.

Craig said he first met Trahan-Mays Saturday morning, when Craig had arranged to sell marijuana to a woman he knows as "Lil Mama." He said the teen accompanied "Lil Mama" and sat in the back seat of Craig's Ford Crown Victoria saying little.

Craig said he felt uneasy about the transaction, which he said was taking an unusually long time because the customers appeared unsure whether they wanted to make the buy.

Craig said he drove them back to his apartment in Foothill Farms so they could make the exchange in seclusion. Still feeling uneasy, he said, he left them at the car while he went inside for his gun.

"Lil Mama" and the boy ultimately passed on the buy, Craig said, and he offered them a ride back to the liquor store where they had met. After the woman got out of the car, the teen remained in the back seat, Craig said.

He said he turned to look at the teen, saw him pull out a gun and, as he ducked down in the front seat, heard at least two shots.

Craig said he fired back awkwardly and that the teen got out of the car. Craig said he drove off in fear.

Homicide Detective Brian Meux said investigators have evidence that Trahan-Mays and Craig were both armed and both fired, but he said it's unclear who fired first. Meux also said they were engaged in a drug deal.

Earlier this week, Trahan-Mays' mother, Monica Trahan, declined to discuss what she thought might have led to the shooting. She described her son as loving and dedicated to his family.

"Joshua touched a lot of hearts," she said. "He made people smile."

After the shooting, she said, friends and family gathered for a makeshift memorial where they shared stories of their love for Trahan-Mays. She said she was struck by the joy he had brought to people.

"He had a contagious laughter," his mother said.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.