1 wounded in Berkeley homeless camp air rifle shooting
The wounded man told police that Michael Minix had aimed for his head "so he raised his arm to cover his face," according to court papers.
A man has been charged with shooting a man with an air rifle in a northwest Berkeley homeless camp overnight Tuesday, authorities report.
That night, the Berkeley Police Department got a call just before 3:45 a.m. about a man inside a tent near Page and Second streets who had just been shot, possibly with a rifle.
When police arrived, they found a man who was bleeding from a serious wound in his arm, BPD said.
After getting him to a safe location at about 4 a.m., officers applied a tourniquet due to the amount of bleeding until the scene was secure for the Berkeley Fire Department to come in.
BFD rushed the man to Highland Hospital for treatment, according to emergency dispatch traffic reviewed by The Berkeley Scanner.
Police initially said the wounded man had been shot with a "high-powered pellet gun." They later determined it was an air rifle.
Area residents told police that the shooter, who was identified as 37-year-old Michael Minix, went into a nearby tent after the attack.
Officers used a loudspeaker to order him to come outside.
Minix "eventually surrendered to police and was detained without further incident," BPD said.
He was arrested Tuesday at about 6:25 a.m., according to records online.
Police also found the weapon used in the shooting and confirmed it was an air rifle.
The wounded man told police that Minix had aimed for his head "so he raised his arm to cover his face," according to court papers.
Police wrote that Minix had accused the other man of stealing his extension cord, a claim the other man denied.
Read more about shootings in Berkeley.
Michael Minix. BPD
On Wednesday, BPD said the man who was shot was in stable condition.
Minix has now been charged with assault with a deadly weapon, which is listed as a felony.
He has no other felony cases in Alameda County, according to online court records.
Minix is now scheduled for arraignment Thursday at Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland, according to jail records online.
BPD said the case would not be counted among its shooting and gunfire reports for the year.
Update, Feb. 16: Minix was released on his own recognizance, despite objections from the prosecution, and is no longer in custody.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing March 25.
He has been ordered to stay 100 yards away from the victim and the area of Page and Second streets, according to court records.
This story was updated after publication to reflect additional details that became available in court papers.
