Bond reduced for Lima man charged in shooting

LIMA — A reduction in bond was granted Wednesday for a man charged in a shooting earlier this year at a Lima park that left a male with non-life-threatening injuries.

Anthonio Briggs, 37, of Lima, was indicted in July by an Allen County grand jury on a single count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony that includes a specification for the use of a firearm.

According to court documents, the Lima Police Department received a 911 call shortly before noon on May 31 reporting an argument between several individuals at Faurot Park. One of the persons had a gun and was pointing it at the others involved, the caller said.

Police learned the man with the gun, later identified as Briggs, had shot a 20-year-old male in the leg during a gathering among acquaintances at the park that turned violent. Briggs told police he felt threatened when several members of one family attempted to assault him.

During an appearance in Allen County Common Pleas Court Wednesday morning, Briggs’ lawyer hinted at a self-defense strategy at trial.

Attorney Kenneth Rexford claimed Briggs has “a legitimate case of self-defense” and accused police of conducting a “flawed investigation” into the facts of the case. Rexford said officers did not take a statement from the man who was shot and similarly took no official statement from one of three witnesses who was captured on video claiming that Briggs “would have been dead on the floor” if he hadn’t retrieved a gun from his vehicle to protect himself.

“One witness claimed he (Briggs) waved a gun around for 10 minutes (before the shooting), but all the other witnesses refuted that,” Rexford said.

The Lima attorney also asked Judge Terri Kohlrieser to modify Briggs’ bond, based partially on the defendant’s medical history.

“Mr. Briggs suffers from chronic heart problems and there is an elevated risk while in custody that he will not have access to the health care he needs,” the defendant’s legal counsel said.

Rexford asked for a $50,000 bond for his client. Kohlrieser set bond at $75,000 and ordered Briggs to be placed on house arrest with an electronic monitoring device if the bond is posted.

Briggs on Wednesday also waived his constitutional right to a speedy trial and Kohlrieser set a trial date of Nov. 18.