Memphis’ Mikey Williams ordered to stand trial on felony gun charges following April arrest
Mikey Williams, a four-star recruit who signed a massive deal with Puma in high school, is away from the Tigers’ program
Memphis recruit Mikey Williams will stand trial on felony gun charges, a Southern California judge ruled Tuesday.
Williams appeared in court for a preliminary hearing after he was arrested in April after allegedly shooting into a vehicle at his San Diego-area home. Williams pleaded not guilty ahead of time and has been free on bond since his arrest. Judge Sherry M. Thompson-Taylor ordered Williams to stand trial on six felony gun charges Tuesday and scheduled his arraignment for Oct. 24, according to The Associated Press.
Police said Williams fired a gun at a car full of people as they were leaving his house March 27. The car was hit, they said, but nobody inside the vehicle was hurt. He was then arrested April 13 and is facing five charges of assault with a weapon and one count of firing into an occupied vehicle. He is facing up to 28 years in prison.
Testimony during Tuesday’s hearing revealed that there were six people inside the car — not five, as originally thought — and witnesses said Williams threatened them, which could lead to more charges being added.
There was a brief incident at Tuesday's hearing, too. Deputy district attorney George Modlin told Thompson-Taylor that he had received reports from someone in the courtroom that members of the gallery were making both hand gestures and facial expressions, which could've been attempts to intimidate a witness, per the report. It’s unclear who was making the alleged gestures.
Williams was a four-star Rivals.com recruit out of high school and drew interest from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Tennessee and San Diego State, among others. He visited Kansas, too, before committing to play for Penny Hardaway and Memphis. Williams grew a massive social media following and signed a multimillion-dollar shoe deal with Puma while in high school, too.
Williams has enrolled in online classes at Memphis, but he is away from the program as the Tigers prepare for the upcoming season. He has not practiced with the team yet and missed their trip to the Dominican Republic earlier this summer. Williams will remain away from the team “until his pending legal process is complete,” the school has said.
Memphis went 26-9 last season and made the NCAA tournament, though the Tigers were knocked out in the first round. They will open the season Nov. 6 against Jackson State.
