A Springfield man faces felony assault charges for allegedly shooting another man, who survived, and assaulting another victim with a beer bottle.
Eric Browning, 30, was arrested early Saturday morning at a residence in Springfield. He is being held with no bond, according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office website.
According to the probable cause statement, Springfield police responded to a report of a domestic assault and that someone suffered a gunshot wound around 12:27 a.m. Saturday. When officers arrived, they found the victim lying on the ground and Browning moving into a standing position over the victim.
Browning was placed in handcuffs and an officer found one round of unspent 9 mm Luger ammunition in one of Browning’s pockets, the statement said.
Witnesses told police they heard multiple shots and observed Browning standing over the victim and then Browning punching the victim in the face several times. Witnesses also told police they observed Browning chasing a woman and striking her in the head with a beer bottle.
One witness alleges Browning stood over the first victim and said, “I’m a motha f**king gangsta b**ch.” Browning reportedly punched the shooting victim, according to the police report.
According to the probable cause statement, Browning was combative after his arrest, and tried to break out of the caged portion of a patrol vehicle. The officer described Browning as being “verbally aggressive” during his arrest and “verbally threatened officers repeatedly.”
As part of a follow-up investigation, an officer attempted to speak to the victim at a Springfield hospital, but was unsuccessful because the victim was “intubated and asleep.” Tracheal intubation is a procedure used to keep a medical patient’s airway open, generally because the patient can’t breathe on their own.
Another officer at the hospital noted the victim had three dime-sized holes in the victim’s body, including one in the abdomen, and two in the buttocks.
When a police officer tried to speak with Browning at the Greene County jail, Browning refused to talk, the statement said.
Browning is charged with first-degree assault (serious physical injury or special victim), armed criminal action and third-degree assault. He does not yet have an attorney, according to online court records.
