A man suspected of injuring two people in a shooting at Stoney
Court Apartments saw on Tuesday his case deferred four weeks.
Gilroy – A man suspected of injuring two people in a shooting at Stoney Court Apartments saw on Tuesday his case deferred four weeks.
Tomas Martinez, 21, faces two charges of attempted murder for a March 27 incident where a man walked up to a car with five people in it and fired almost 10 rounds.
The case is still in the elementary stages before the preliminary hearing when attorneys assemble their cases.
When attorneys return to court Oct. 30, they could be ready to set a date for a preliminary hearing.
The four-week continuance will give the defense more time to make certain its argument is “thorough with a capital T,” said Javier Rios, the public defender assigned to Martinez.
“Whenever I have a case that involves allegations of guns and shooting, that means I don’t have to just take care, but I have to take extra care,” he said.
In particular, Rios will be inspecting witness reports that finger Martinez as the shooter, he said.
“I’m not sure if in fact these witnesses are reliable,” he said.
Police originally held another man in April on suspicion of the shooting, but released him a few days later.
Martinez was arrested in late July, after being arrested in connection with a grisly stabbing, released from custody and almost deported because he was in the country illegally.
Prosecutors are forwarding color copies of the police lineup used for witness identification of Martinez to the defense, deputy district attorney Amir Alem said.
The defense will take these copies into consideration when evaluating reliability of the witnesses, Rios said.
“I’m looking to see if they know what they’re talking about,” he said.
