VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A 19-year-old suspect facing charges in connection to a Virginia Beach Oceanfront shooting that left six bystanders injured has been granted a $50,000 bond.
Andrew Anthony is one of five people facing a long list of charges, including attempted robbery and malicious wounding, connected to the chaos at the Oceanfront on March 7. Investigators believe multiple people exchanged gunfire during the incident.
I spoke with Anthony's attorney, Eric Korslund, to learn more about his client and the case.
"He's 19 years old he has no criminal record he's never been in trouble before and he's a lifelong resident of Hampton roads," Korslund said.
When asked about the $50,000 bond, Korslund expressed his reaction to the judge's decision.
"Actually I am surprised he got a bond these are a lot of charges very serious," Korslund said.
Korslund said the key issue in this case comes down to what role Anthony actually played on that crowded night.
"He was there he pulled out a gun but he did it in reaction to other people pulling out their gun," Korslund said.
Korslund also addressed what he says did not happen during that encounter.
"It's undisputed at this point and time that he never pointed a gun at anybody and he never fired his gun," Korslund said.
Still, he expects prosecutors to argue that Anthony played a supporting role in the violence.
"The commonwealth is going to try and argue that he's guilty as an accomplice what we call a principle in the second degree that he encouraged, assisted, or abetted this in someway," Korslund said.
With that expected argument ahead, Korslund said the stakes for his client could not be higher.
"This could change the whole course of his life I think that's an understatement what I like to tell juries is life without liberties is no life at all," Korslund said.
