Gaston judge raises bond on suspected nightclub shooter
A man jailed on charges he shot two police officers and four others at a Gastonia nightclub in November last year hoped to see a judge reduce his bond last week.
Gaston County Superior Court Judge David Phillips instead increased Allen Slaughter's bond from $1 million to $1.5 million at a Nov. 2 hearing. Slaughter has been in Gaston County Jail since November 2020 on six charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
Slaughter wanted to see his bond reduced to $300,000 so he could get out of jail while awaiting trial, his attorney, Norman Butler, told the judge.
"Allen (Slaughter) has two boys, one who is 5-years-old and another one who is 4-years-old. His family is struggling without him financially. I suggest he be put on a monitor and be allowed to work so he can continue to provide for his family," Butler told the judge.
Assistant District Attorney Chad Smith asked the judge not to reduce Slaughter's bond.
Police accuse Slaughter, 30, and another Charlotte man, Alonzo Lewis Hamilton, 31, of firing a gun Nov. 12, 2020, during a brawl on the patio of Remedies Restaurant and Nightclub on Union Road.
The incident injured two Gastonia Police officers working off-duty security at the nightclub as well as four customers at the nightclub.
Butler argued Slaughter's bond should be reduced because at least one of the nightclub patrons who was shot has said Slaughter did not fire the gun.
"It is certainly possible that a person's DNA can be on an item that has been examined without that person being in actual physical possession of that item," Butler said. "The witness described who shot him and that description did not include a Black man with dreads."
Smith emphasize Slaughter has a past criminal record and that evidence shows Slaughter at some point had possession of the gun.
“The chance that it is not Mr. Slaughter's DNA on the gun is 1 in 10.1 octillion,” Smith said.
"There’s video evidence on the security cameras that identify Slaughter as the gunman. The vehicle that ultimately the defendant was found in, the passenger seat of, you can clearly see the shooter go and get into the passenger seat of the car," Smith added.
Both officers who were shot that night are still undergoing surgeries and medical treatments for their injuries, Smith said. Their injuries could be suffered for a lifetime and possibly end their law enforcement careers. Neither officer has yet been medically cleared to return to full active duty, according to Gastonia Police.
Slaughter’s mother, Dana Starkes, left the Gaston County Courthouse disappointed. She does not believe her son shot the officers or the others that night.
”The whole family is sad. His kids are asking when he will be coming back home. This is why Black families grow up without a father, they keep taking them away from us,” Starkes said. "I feel for the officers and their families but I am hurting as well."
Beatriz Guerrero can be reached at 704-869-1828 or on Twitter@BeatrizGue_.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston judge raises bond on suspected nightclub shooter
