A Windsor man facing charges in connection with a deadly shooting at a basketball tournament in Hartford over the weekend phase to judge in court Monday.
Roosevelt Holmes, 23, faces charges of criminal possession of a firearm, reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge, and attempted first-degree assault.
Police said he is one of three men wounded by gunfire at the "All Xity Shootout," or "Heat on the Street" tournament, at Hartford's Rawson Elementary School on Saturday. A fourth shooting victim died at the hospital.
Holmes, who was shot in the leg, hobbled into the courtroom on crutches Monday.
He is being held on $2 million bond. Holmes' attorney, Gerald Klein, said his client claims self-defense.
Holmes, who was watching the tournament Saturday, told police someone had just stolen his Cartier sunglasses and shot him while he was running away. He then returned fire, according to documents released in court Monday.
Three other men were shot and treated at the hospital. James Headen, 41, of Hartford, later died. Police described Headen as an innocent bystander and said he was shot in the head.
Another shooting victim, who asked not to be identified, called himself lucky in an exclusive interview with NBC Connecticut on Monday.
“When you think about it, if you get shot in the hand, you can get shot anywhere. So, yeah, I’m lucky, very lucky,” he said.
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The victim said he heard the gunshots and originally thought he had been hurt falling down as chaos erupted at the tournament.
“I didn’t know I even got shot. I just, I just thought I maybe broke my arm or something,” the victim said.
Police were back the school Monday searching for evidence.
They said it’s still unclear how many people opened fire and who is actually responsible for pulling the trigger at what was supposed to be a fun community event.
