They indiscriminately opened fire in the Mayflower Street area yesterday and almost killed a 7 year old as he sat in his home.
Brothers 22-year-old Jun Ming Zhao and 19-year-old Yang Zhao were today charged with the crimes of causing public terror and discharging a firearm in public. Jun yang was additionally charged with discharging an unlicensed firearm which is the nine millimeter pistol, making an illegal alteration to that same pistol; and harm to a 7 year old.
Reports are that yesterday at 12:30, both men came out of the store, one with a shotgun and the other with a 9-millimeter pistol and fired the pistol at some customers with whom they'd had a misunderstanding.
And while that's what eyewitnesses say today they pleaded not guilty to all charges. With that Magistrate Dorothy Flowers released them on $2,000 bond and they will re-appear on May 13th.
But if the family of the victim has their way, at least one of the charges won't proceed. Earl Reneau Sr. appeared at the arraignment and told the prosecutor that he would like the charges dropped against the men who almost killed his son. Reneau told us this evening the Chinese men are his friends. And while Reneau can claim friendship, there seems to be no excuse for the police who omitted the charge of "kept an unlicensed firearm." It's a critical omission because under the new crime code, a person who discharges an unlicensed firearm cannot receive bail.