Niles man arraigned on charges of felonious assault in shooting

The man who was shot is in serious condition.

STAFF report

NILES — A 20-year-old Niles man was arraigned in municipal court here on charges of felonious assault, having weapons while intoxicated and discharging firearms after police said he shot a 22-year-old city man in the stomach during an argument.

Judge Thomas Townley on Tuesday set bond at $15,000 for Andrew J. Stearns, 20, of Pratt Street, on the felonious-assault charge and $2,500 for the two other charges, which are misdemeanors.

Because the felonious-assault charge is a felony, no plea is given during an arraignment, court officials said. Stearns pleaded innocent to the two misdemeanors.

If eventually convicted of felonious assault, Stearns could get up to eight years in prison.

The victim of the shooting, Mitchell Hall, 22, of Niles, is in serious condition at Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital.

Hall, whose address was not available, was among several people who attended a party Monday night at an apartment at 424 Pratt St., Niles police said.

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, Hall and Stearns left the party, police said. About 30 minutes later, people still at the party noticed that one man’s cell phone and keys were missing, so one of the partygoers called Stearns and asked him about it, police said.

Stearns said if the individual who owned the items “had a problem with it, to come to his apartment” to get them, police said.

When two of the partygoers arrived at the apartment around 2 a.m., Stearns came out holding a handgun and was “waving it around” and threatening the man whose keys and phone were missing, police said.

The gun went off and hit Hall in the stomach, police said. The man with the missing keys was not injured.

A friend later took Hall to the hospital, said Niles Detective Dan Adkins.

Police contacted Stearns by telephone and arranged to meet him at Robbins and Vienna avenues, where he was arrested.

Stearns is due back in municipal court at 9:45 a.m. next Wednesday.