BY JEREMY BERKOWITZ
Daily News Editor
Published May 22, 2002
A suspect in the early Saturday morning shooting that injured two University football players and raised safety concerns around campus was arraigned Wednesday by the Washtenaw County Trial Court.
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The Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office issued an arrest warrant Tuesday after an Ann Arbor Police Department investigation revealed 18-year-old Ypsilanti resident Joshua White as a possible suspect in the shootings. White turned himself in to police later that night after receiving the warrant but pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment.
White is charged with two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, two felony firearm counts and one count of concealed weapon possession. Magistrate A. Thomas Truesdell set a preliminary hearing for June 5.
Steve Hiller, deputy chief assistant at the Prosecutor's Office, said he is unsure whether a plea bargain will be negotiated.
"It may or may not occur. That's a question that we will examine at the appropriate time and the appropriate form and of course the victims' input will be solicited if we decide to pursue it," Hiller said.
White is suspected of shooting Kinesiology junior Carl Diggs, a linebacker on the team, and Kinesiology sophomore Markus Curry, who plays cornerback.
The shooting occurred at the corner of East Madison Street and Fifth Avenue after Ann Arbor police officers broke up a party at 11:30 p.m. Friday on the 200 block of Packard after receiving a call about a fight. White, along with three others, had tried to get into the party but was denied entrance, witnesses have said.
Although they were at the party, Curry and Diggs were not involved in the fight, Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Michael Logghe said.
After police broke up the event, another incident occurred 45 minutes later when Diggs and Curry, who friends said were celebrating a teammate's birthday, were shot, the first in the leg and the other in the back.
Friends of Diggs and Curry drove them to the University Hospital. Diggs was released early that morning and has told reporters that he should be fully recovered and in uniform come football season. Curry was released late Saturday night and is in good condition, though it is unknown when he will fully recover. Nobody else was injured.
Bail for White was set Wednesday for $100,000. White's attorney, William Mitchell III, said he was disappointed in the amount, adding that White voluntarily turned himself over to police.
"Although I recognize that it is a serious charge, there is substantial contact with the community," Mitchell said.
White could face up to life imprisonment if convicted of the assault with intent to murder charges. He could also face additional jail time from the other charges - carrying a concealed weapon carries a maximum five-year prison term while the punishment for the felony firearm count is two years in prison.
According to court records, White is currently on probation for a breaking and entering charge, stemming from a 2001 incident in which he tried to steal a car from an Ann Arbor dealership. He was also accused of stealing seven cars in 2000, as well as various other crimes.
Logghe said that while shootings in Ann Arbor are not common, they are still a problem. This is not the only shooting to happen in the Ann Arbor area over the last couple weeks. A 32-year-old Ypsilanti resident was shot to death Sunday in an Ypsilanti parking lot by her ex-boyfriend, who is claiming it was done in self-defense.
"Certainly we don't have a lot of shootings in Ann Arbor and it's unfortunate when we do," Logghe said. "I think we're always conscious of situations such as these. You always expect the worst when you go out on patrol and hope for the best."























