22-year old Austyn Brooks and 21-year old Bryce Dehner have both been charged with four counts of attempted murder, two counts of battery with a deadly weapon and one count of criminal recklessness after what has been described as a "drug deal gone bad." Brooks is the son of former Notre Dame All-American and Heisman finalist Reggie Brooks.
The incident that was described by police and in the court documents (via the South Bend Tribune) depicts four men meeting Brooks and Dehner to buy marijuana. However, the four men paid with counterfeit bills, which enraged Dehner who took off after them in his car around the city of Grander, Ind. When Brooks and Dehner caught up to the other vehicle Brooks started firing his gun. He ended up hitting one of the men being pursued and an innocent motorist who had nothing to do with the exchange that ignited the chase.
According to the charging documents, when the suspects were found in South Bend after the incident, Dehner admitted to also firing a .45-caliber handgun, while he says that Brooks fired a 9-mm handgun. Both of the people shot in the incident are expected to recover.
Aside from traffic infractions, neither suspect has a criminal record, according to court records. However, these attempted murder charges alone carry a potential sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison. That's a lot of time to think about how upset they got over some a substance they shouldn't have had in their possession anyway.
[h/t South Bend Tribune]
