☢ test - Í

picked up in this case — and involved multiple other parties.” Reed v. State, 291 Ga. 10, 727 S.E.2d 112 (April 24, 2012). Felony murder and related convictions affirmed; trial court properly admitted similar transaction evidence. “In both instances, when someone tried to break up a heated argument, Reed repeatedly struck his victims in the face with objects of considerable size which he obtained at the location of the argument and which could and did cause substantial visible bodily harm. This evidence reflects a sufficient connection between the two incidents such that proof of the former tends to prove the latter.” Whitehead v. State, 287 Ga. 242, 695 S.E.2d 255 (June 1, 2010). Defendant’s murder conviction affirmed; 1. trial court properly admitted similar transaction evidence: “the trial court did not abuse its discretion in deciding that Whitehead's firing his gun twice in a crowded nightclub was similar enough to his wildly firing his gun outside the recording studio nearby a few months earlier. The nightclub incident was probative of Whitehead's course of conduct of unlawfully possessing loaded firearms, despite his status as a convicted felon, and of firing those guns recklessly in public places in the presence of many other people.” 2. Overrules prior cases holding that defense must object at time of admission of similar transaction evidence, even where same objection has been made and overruled in pre-trial hearing; as with objections to admission of confessions and rulings denying motions to suppress and motions in limine, pre-trial objection is sufficient. Overrules “ Dixon v. State, 285 Ga. 312, 317, 677 S.E.2d 76 (2009); Robinson v. State, 283 Ga. 546, 547, 661 S.E.2d 538 (2008); Young v. State, 269 Ga. 478, 479, 499 S.E.2d 60 (1998) … and other cases to the extent that they require a defendant to repeat an objection at trial to similar transaction evidence that was raised and overruled at a Rule 31.3(B) hearing.” Tatum v. State, 297 Ga.App. 550, 677 S.E.2d 740 (April 17, 2009). At defendant’s trial for aggravated assault and related charges, prior aggravated assault in same area was properly admitted as similar transaction: both incidents showed “Tatum's propensity to take an earlier dispute to a more violent level by surprising and ‘trying to scare’ his victims with a semi-automatic pistol.” Wright v. State, 285 Ga. 57, 673 S.E.2d 249 (February 23, 2009). At defendant’s trial for murder of his five-year old stepdaughter, evidence of similar injuries to the victim’s infant brother was properly admitted as a similar transaction. “Here, the State properly proffered the evidence to show course of conduct. The evidence also met the second and third prongs of the test because it showed that the injuries occurred while the infant was in [defendant's] care, the injuries were on similar parts of the body as the victim's injuries, and the injuries occurred simultaneously to when the victim's injuries occurred.” McKenzie v. State, 294 Ga.App. 376, 670 S.E.2d 158 (November 5, 2008). At defendant’s trial for murdering her husband with a knife, evidence of prior assaults on him with a knife were properly admitted as prior difficulties. “The evidence was probative of McKenzie's bent of mind to assault her husband with a knife. See [ Givens v. State, 273 Ga. 818, 823(4) (546 S.E.2d 509) (2001)]; Cunningham v. State, 243 Ga.App. 770, 771(1) (533 S.E.2d 735) (2000) (prior difficulty evidence showing pattern of simple batteries against the victim admissible in trial for aggravated assault against the victim).” Johnson v. State, 289 Ga.App. 435, 657 S.E.2d 333 (January 31, 2008). Shootings were sufficiently similar: “In both the previous assault and the incident at issue here – which occurred seven months apart – Johnson had a verbal disagreement with young unarmed males, demanded that they leave the premises, and, when they refused to comply, retrieved a Bryco .380 and fired the weapon at or near the victims. In both instances, he then calmly walked inside, where the police found him shortly thereafter.” Diop v. State, 285 Ga.App. 312, 645 S.E.2d 756 (May 9, 2007). Similar transaction evidence was admissible: “the evidence showed that within a 48-hour period Diop stabbed two persons he knew multiple times with a knife without apparent provocation. In both instances, he expressed a desire to die. Accordingly, there was a sufficient similarity between the independent act and the crime charged that the former tended to prove the latter.” Cotton v. State, 279 Ga. 358, 613 S.E.2d 628 (May 23, 2005). “The prior assault evidence showed that, where interference with his relationship with women was concerned, Cotton had a propensity to initiate a confrontation with an unarmed male victim and then to escalate the argument by drawing and firing a weapon without provocation.” Campbell v. State, 278 Ga. 839, 607 S.E.2d 565 (January 10, 2005). “The fact that one prior incident involved a gun