KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Kalamazoo County man who is charged with multiple counts of attempted murder after a shooting outside a nightclub will likely head to trial.
On Wednesday, the defendant, Joshua Antwan Liggins, appeared in Kalamazoo County's 8th District Court for a probable cause hearing.
Honorable Richard A. Santoni ruled to bind the case over to circuit court for trial.
"When you shoot a bullet into a motor vehicle packed with people, this is what you get. This is what you expect," said Kalamazoo County 8th Distrcit Court Judge Richard A. Santoni.
#HAPPENING: Joshua Antwan Liggins is appearing in court for a preliminary hearing after allegedly being involved in a random shooting in October 2021.
— Lauren Kummer (@LaurenKummerTV) February 16, 2022
He is being charged with 8 counts of assault with intent to murder and 8 weapons charges. @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/UCYwNpyoub
Joshua Antwan Liggins is charged with eight counts of assault with intent to murder and eight weapons charges, 16 charges total.
It all stems from an Oct. 2, 2021 shooting at Kalamazoo's Deja Vu Nightclub.
Liggins is accused of firing a gun at eight teens in a pickup truck, following an exchange of words in the parking lot.
"We pulled out and right as we straightened up, you could hear the booms and the muzzle flashes directly behind us. Once it all stopped you could see the gun smoke everywhere, and that is when the car stopped for a second. I didn’t really know what was going on, and then we just sped off," said Trent Thomas, one of the victims of the shooting.
Two of those teenagers were hit. One had very minor injuries.
"I felt something in my back. At first, I thought I got hit with something," said another victim of the shooting, Jake McIllmurray.
Prosecutor: "Ok, I’m going to stop you there for a second. You said you felt something. What did you feel?"
"I felt... It felt like a paintball hit my back. It didn’t feel like I had been shot," said McIllmurray.
Prosecutor: "Was it like a stinging, a burning?"
"It was stinging and burning my back," said McIllmurray.
The other teen was severely injured with a gunshot wound to the face, spending over 30 days in the hospital.
Prosecutor: "You said you got shot. Do you know where the bullet entered?"
"Yes. Right here," said an additional victim of the shooting, Luciano Rinna.
Prosecutor: "That would be your face, right?"
"Yes," said Rinna.
Prosecutor: "On the right side of your face, right on the corner of your mouth, and then you said it exited your...?"
"Yes, right here," said Rinna.
Prosecutor: "And that would be on the back side of your head, behind your left ear. Is that correct?"
"Yep. Yep. I was in the hospital. I had my mouth wired. My jaw was shattered. I had a feeding tube in," said Rinna.
At Wednesday's hearing, law enforcement also testified before the judge.
The lead investigator with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety said collectively they found five spent shell casings at the scene and two additional casings on the vehicle.
During closing statements, the specifics of the charges were brought into question by the defense. The judge ultimately ruled to move the case forward to circuit court.
"I am determining that in all 16 counts, a crime was committed as stated in the complaint. There is probable cause to believe the defendant committed all 16 counts," said Hon. Santoni.
The defense told FOX 17 they plan to file a motion to quash it, saying Liggins was improperly charged.
In court, the prosecutor also requested to increase Liggins's bond, which was originally set as a $20,000 cash surety bond. The judge denied that motion.
The mother of one of the victims didn't want to speak on camera, but said the denial for an increase of bond was upsetting. She was hoping Liggins would stay behind bars.
