Wright provides details against brother

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - Though William Wright waived his preliminary hearing on charges he shot a Kalamazoo deputy, his brother took the stand and shared details of how the events unfolded on the night of Jan. 6.

Christopher Wright testified against his brother in order to allow the prosecution to preserve his testimony going into the trial for William. It's all part of a plea deal that will limit Christopher into a jail sentence for time already served.

In his testimony, Christopher Wright said the truck he, his brother and Dominique Castle were in that night is owned by their mother. (Castle remains at large.)

But the 9mm gun used in the shooting was William's. His prints are on the gun, he said, because William handed it to him as they ran after the deputy was shot.

The events began when the brothers and Castle went to a barn where William works on cars, and then over to a friend's house. William was driving and ran a red light, Christopher said, and got pulled over.

The gun was inbetween the driver's seat and a console, he said, and William grabbed the gun. He told William not to shoot, but said his brother ignored him.

When the officer approached the pickup truck, Christopher testified he heard the first shot get fired, and then he ducked. He said he has no idea how many shots were fired, and had no idea if the officer had been shot.

William wouldn't answer when Christopher asked him why he fired at the deputy, but then stopped the truck and told Christopher and Castle to run.

They all ran, he testified, to the house of a young woman William knew, and he told her he ran from the police and needed a ride. She gave the three of them a ride to Jessica Carpenter's house.

When Carpenter answered the door, Christopher continued, she already knew William had shot a police officer. (Christopher thinks William texted Carpenter about it.) She stepped outside with a clothes basket and they all got in her Jeep and took off.

They traveled back past the scene of the shooting, then got on I-94 to Galesburg, where they stopped for food at a McDonald's. After that, he said, they went back to the barn near Long Lake.

Carpenter had a laptop, and they listened to the police scanners, he said, and heard their names. William told Christopher to put a tote bag in the Jeep, and then they left the barn with William in charge.

They went to another person's house, and though no one was home, William had a key. He pulled out all the light bulbs because it was too bright.

They didn't stay there long, he testified, and Carpenter kept asking William how he could shoot a deputy. They continued to monitor the police scanners, and around this time, another man came and picked up Castle.

The Wright brothers and Carpenter then fled that scene, with William driving. Despite repeatedly begging him to slow down and stop the car, William kept going. Carpenter opened her door and jumped out of the truck, but Christopher couldn't get out until the vehicle crashed.

The brothers then hid in a large truck. Christopher was found and handcuffed.

William Wright's attorney tried to poke holes in Christopher's story, pointing to inconsistencies in previous statements.

But the judge ruled there was enough evidence to bind William Wright over for trial on the original charges, plus an additional charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.