BISMARCK -- Benjamin Williams, 21, a suspect in the shooting of another 21-year-old man in northeast Bismarck in mid-September, will be tried for attempted murder and tampering with evidence.
Williams, of Bismarck, is scheduled for a Jan. 24-27 jury trial after District Judge James Hill found probable cause for both felony charges against him Monday during a preliminary hearing at the Burleigh County Courthouse.
Williams pleaded not guilty to both counts.
Williams, accused of shooting the other man twice in the chest and once in the leg late on Sept. 13 in northeast Bismarck, set off an all-night search involving multi-law enforcement agencies, K9s, a fixed-wing airplane and calls warning residents to remain in their homes.
Williams surrendered without incident at 6:25 a.m. Sept. 14 at a house near the MyPlace Hotel.
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According to the victim, he was seated in a vehicle along the 1400 block of North 22nd Street, when Williams pulled up behind him and walked out of his car with a handgun as words were exchanged, said a police report. The victim said he got out of his car to confront Williams and was shot three times, Welk said. After he was shot in the right thigh, he told the detective "he rushed" Williams in an attempt to prevent the suspect from using the gun again. The altercation resulted in two injuries to the collar bone/shoulder area, according to Welk.
