SHARON — A Cleveland man is headed to court on charges that he shot two women May 2 in Sharon after he allegedly shot at them in Farrell and chased them into Sharon.
Antoine Williams, 29, was charged by Sharon police with two counts each of aggravated assault and attempted homicide. At a preliminary hearing Wednesday before Senior District Judge Henry J. Russo, Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Gilkey added charges of carrying a firearm without a license, persons not to possess firearms based on a prior felony conviction in Ohio and two additional counts of aggravated assault.
After testimony by one of the victims and a Sharon police detective, Russo held all charges to Mercer County Common Pleas Court.
Katrina Austin said she was driving on Lee Avenue when she saw her sister, Sylvia Ferguson, who was bleeding from the head.
Ms. Ferguson told Ms. Austin that Williams had “pistol-whipped” her and as she got in Ms. Austin’s car Williams fired two or three shots from outside his car, which was also parked on the street, Ms. Austin said. There’s a bullet hole in the roof of her car from the gunplay, she said.
Williams drove away, then Ms. Austin left, intending to take her sister to the hospital. Ms. Ferguson refused and Ms. Austin said she told her sister to get out of the car on Spearman Avenue because she didn’t have anything to do with what was going on and didn’t want to be in the middle of it.
Ms. Austin said she thought the incident was over, but then she saw Williams’ car as she was stopped on New Castle Avenue at Budd Street and as she sped off he turned and followed after her.
“He was just chasing me and shooting out the window,” Ms. Austin said.
She turned onto Florence street and she and passenger Jessica Robinson jumped out of the car and ran toward the back of a house. Ms. Austin said Williams got out of his car and fired a gun at them from the middle of the road.
Ms. Austin said she felt something hit her leg and then her wrist and she fell to the ground. Ms. Robinson’s leg was grazed and though she wasn’t hurt there was a hole in her jeans, Ms. Austin said.
On cross examination by Williams’ Cleveland attorney Joseph Morse, Ms. Austin said she never saw a gun in Williams’ hand during the ordeal, which happened about 3 a.m.
“I never seen it but I heard it and I felt it,” she testified.
Morse argued that Ms. Austin’s choice to get out of her car and run rather than keep fleeing in the vehicle was “implausible.” He also noted that she didn’t see any gun.
Ms. Gilkey noted that she was being shot and scared and wanted to get away.
“It’s not for us to second guess,” Ms. Gilkey said. “There’s no question that there are bullet wounds in two parts of her body.”
Morse also asked Russo to reduce Williams’ bond from $100,000. Ms. Gilkey objected, noting the seriousness of the charges and that Williams has been accused of attempting to intimidate witnesses in the case from Mercer County Jail.
Russo denied Morse’s request.
Williams, Kevin Washington, 50, formerly of Sharon and Farrell and Ms. Ferguson, 29, of Farrell, are accused of contacting Ms. Austin on June 10 to deter her from testifying against Williams.
Sheriff’s deputies said Washington called Ms. Ferguson from the jail’s phone and had her patch him through to her sister by three-way call.
Williams and Washington are scheduled for a preliminary hearing Monday morning before District Judge Lorinda Hinch, Mercer, both on charges of two counts each of conspiracy and criminal solicitation.
He faces a hearing June 25 before District Judge Ronald Antos, Farrell, on charges of three counts each of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and making terroristic threats for firing shots in Farrell that night.
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UPDATE: Was shot by suspect, woman testifies
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