Warrants charging three counts of attempted criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault and felon in possession of a handgun have been issued against Deangelo Spears, 23, who Monday evening indiscriminately, and for reasons still unknown, fired shots toward innocent bystanders, striking a man in the leg, and two MNPD officers, who were not struck, in the 100 block of Neelys Bend Road.
Spears, who is paralyzed from the waist down, was seen at 6:15 p.m. sitting in the roadway at Neelys Bend Road near Argyle Avenue calling out for help. When a man attempted to check on him, Spears fired toward him. A bullet apparently ricocheted off the pavement and struck the man in the knee. He refused treatment. Spears then fired at a man across the street who was walking on the sidewalk, striking him in the leg. A third man was pulling into the nearby Walgreens when a bullet entered his rolled down passenger window and struck the driver’s side window, shattering it. A fourth man then attempted to intervene but took cover after Spears fired at him.
Officers Brandon Lopez and Thomas Denenea quickly responded to the volatile scene and located the victim who had been shot in the leg. Spears was lying in a yard across the street. As Officer Denenea got out of his marked patrol car, with lights and sirens activated, Spears fired multiple shots toward him, striking Denenea’s police vehicle. Officers did not return fire. They gave Spears repeated commands to drop his weapon. Spears then used his arms to pull himself around the corner of a residence where he was taken into custody. A handgun and several cartridge casings were located in the yard from where Spears had been shooting. Additional casings were located on Neelys Bend Road near Argyle Avenue. The recovered gun was out of ammunition. The investigation continues into how Spears came to be in the area and why he started shooting.
Spears was transported to General Hospital for treatment of pre-existing medical issues. Detectives attempted to interview him but he was uncooperative. Spears will be arrested upon his discharge.
The man shot in the leg was transported to Skyline Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
