18-year-old Hagerstown man charged with several counts of attempted murder in shootout

An 18-year-old Hagerstown man has been charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder following a shootout Monday night in downtown Hagerstown.

Michael Anthony Jones also is facing assault, firearms and drug charges related to the shootout and weapons and drugs found in his bedroom, according to charging documents filed at Washington County District Court.

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In a phone interview defense attorney Ira Cooke said, "These are charges and that's all they are ... speculative charges."

Later Friday during a bond hearing in district court, Cooke told Judge Terry A. Myers that Jones is a South Hagerstown High student who hopes to graduate this year, has no criminal record, and has family members in the courtroom.

Cooke said there were less restrictions that could be used instead of holding Jones without bond, such as releasing him with an ankle bracelet and restricting him to only going between his home and school.

Cooke told Myers this was a "classic case of overcharging."

Deputy State's Attorney Kenny Shapiro said he wasn't sure how it was overcharging given four people were shot at during the incident.

Shapiro said he was getting "tired of saying 'Hagerstown reminds me of a Wild West film.'"

Addressing Cooke, Myers said: "You and I both know just about everything is overcharged." But Myers said it didn't appear Jones was randomly charged in this matter and the charges can't be seen as "miniscule." The judge ordered Jones to continue to be held without bond at the Washington County Detention Center.

Hagerstown Police responded to the 200 block of East Franklin Street around 7:26 p.m. Monday for a reported shooting, court records state. An officer learned a male victim had been shot in both legs and was to the rear of the first block of North Cannon Ave.

Investigators determined the man was an innocent bystander and not involved in the shooting, court records state. He had been at a friend's home with his child when he was hit by a stray bullet.

The man was taken to Meritus Medical Center east of Hagerstown with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to a Hagerstown Police news release.

Officers searching the alley between the first blocks of North Cannon and North Mulberry avenues found a cellphone near the northeast corner of the Mulberry Lofts building at 22 N. Mulberry St., and an expended shell casing near a phone at the corner of two alleys, court records state.

What do Hagerstown Police say happened during the shootout?

Surveillance footage from Mulberry Lofts shows two groups in a shootout, firing at each other in the alley next to the lofts, court records state.

One of the groups was in a white Honda Fit. The driver and at least one of two passengers had handguns as they exited the Honda, charging documents state.

The driver, standing behind the Honda, "appears to be firing his handgun over the roof of the vehicle at a group" standing at the other end of the alley, charging documents state. The other group consisted of at least four people, some of whom were firing back at the group by the Honda.

After the Honda group fires multiple rounds at the other group, they leave in the Honda, charging documents state. Where the Honda stopped in the alley and its occupants exited is where police later found the phone.

Police determined the Honda was registered to a woman with a South Cannon Avenue address, a woman they later would learn is Jones' mother, charging documents state. A surveillance operation also found a male driving the car and going in and out of the address associated with the Honda.

Guns and drugs found in defendant's bedroom

The Washington County Special Response Team announced its presence outside the home in the 300 block of South Cannon Avenue on Thursday morning, according to court records. Four people exited the home, including Jones and three juveniles, ages 12 to 17.

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Police searching the home found weapons and drugs in Jones' bedroom and/or bedroom closet on the second floor.

According to charging documents, the items found were:

• A black AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle in the closet next to the bedroom door. The weapon's barrel was less than 16 inches when the federal requirement for a rifle is at least 16 inches. With the shorter barrel, the weapon is considered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to be an AR-15 pistol. The brown magazine in the AR-15 was loaded with 28 rounds of .223 ammo.

• A black polymer P80-type handgun between shoeboxes near the bedroom TV. The handgun did not have a serial number and is known as a "ghost gun." It had a black extended magazine loaded with 22 rounds of 9 mm ammo. The gun also was equipped with a red-dot sight, a laser sight, and a non-factory, fully automatic seer or "glockswitch" that gives the handgun fully automatic firing capability.

• Clothing and shoes identical to what was worn by the Honda driver during the shootout.

• Five loose rounds of 9 mm ammo on the bedroom floor.

• A plastic bag containing about 85 grams of suspected marijuana.

• About 300 new sandwich bags on a shelf.

• About $893 in cash.

• Two Magpul Macro Roni conversion kits used by inserting a firearm inside to increase the distance for the weapon system.

• An empty 9 mm ammo box.

• A box for a Magpul 50-round drum magazine for a 9 mm Glock-style handgun.

Police also noted in charging documents that there was a digital scale. With the scale, empty baggies and amount of suspected marijuana, Jones was charged with possession of cannabis with intent to distribute, according to charging documents.

There also was evidence indicating the phone discovered in the alley by the shooting scene belonged to Jones, charging documents state.

When police interviewed Jones' mother they showed her a picture from the surveillance video of the Honda driver during the shooting incident and she allegedly responded, initially, that it "looks like Michael," according to charging documents.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown man charged with attempted murder of 4 people from shootout