Deputies: Mims man shot man on moped twice in the back during late-night vehicle chase
A Mims man was charged with attempted first-degree murder after he shot a man on a moped twice in the back during a late-night chase, a Brevard County Sheriff's Office arrest warrant affidavit said.
Thomas Blair, 23, pleaded not guilty this week to charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and discharging a firearm from a vehicle within 1,000 feet of a person.
Blair remains incarcerated without bond at the Brevard County Jail Complex. Monday, Blair’s attorneys, Patrick Landy Jr. and Michael Cook of West Melbourne, filed a motion requesting an evidentiary hearing and a “reasonable” bond amount.
The motion said Blair has numerous family and community ties in Brevard County, and he “does not pose a threat of harm to the community.”
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On Nov. 11, a BCSO deputy responded to a Kittles Street home in Mims about 2:10 a.m. after a man had been shot twice in the back — one on his right shoulder, one near the center of his lower back.
During a subsequent interview at HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford, the victim said Blair’s girlfriend had called and asked him to pick her up to hang out. He picked her up on his moped and drove away — and Blair started chasing them in a red vehicle, the affidavit said.
The victim slowed down and the woman got off the moped, and the chase resumed, the affidavit said. The man said he was shot twice in the back as he drove the moped down Kittles Street.
Landy declined comment Friday, saying his legal team is early in its representation and investigation of Blair's case.
"We’d remind everyone that Mr. Blair is presumed innocent, and we plan on zealously advocating for him and his interests," Landy said.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Mims man charged with attempted murder, accused of shooting man twice
