By MATT THACKER
Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com
JEFFERSONVILLE —
Two men have been arrested in connection with an Aug. 15 shooting in Jeffersonville.
Davron M. Brownlee, 21, of Clarksville, and Jose E. Cortez, 21, of Jeffersonville, were charged Tuesday with four counts of class B felony attempted aggravated battery, class C felony battery with a deadly weapon and class C felony criminal recklessness.
A 19-year-old male was briefly hospitalized after a bullet grazed his back. It left an abrasion but did not penetrate the skin, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed in Clark County Circuit Court. The victim said in the court paperwork he was in a vehicle with three other males when a white minivan began chasing them around Jonquil Drive. He said an unknown person started firing shots at their vehicle.
Jeffersonville Police Department detectives recovered six shell casings, with the markings of a 9mm Lugar, on or around Larkspur Drive. The other three occupants in the victim’s vehicle later came forward and said they knew the shooters, according to court records. They thought the shots were retaliation for a large fight that broke out at Court Yard Square Apartments after one man demanded money he said he was owed.
Witnesses identified Cortez as driving the van and Brownlee as the passenger. One of the witnesses passed a polygraph examination, according to records.
Police learned Cortez had been arrested Aug. 22 after a traffic stop in Clarksville for possession of a handgun without a permit. He was stopped in a 1999 white Ford Van with Brownlee as a passenger.
Police found a .45-caliber gun in the van, which Cortez admitted was his and for which he did not have a permit.
Brownlee and Cortez are scheduled to appear in court this evening for initial hearings. They face 28 to 96 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
