Luvell Neal charged with attempted murder for shooting on W. Marion
The prosecutor's office has formally charged Luvell Neal, 32, with the shooting that happened outside a business in the 300 block of W. Marion Street on March 22.
In court today, Neal said he would be hiring his own attorney. His next court date is set for April 12th.
Off camera, Neal's father tells ABC57 he's, "sorry this happened."
Neal has been charged with
- Attempted murder a level 1 felony
- Aggravated battery a level 3 felony
- Attempted armed robbery a level 3 felony
- Dealing in cocaine a level 5 felony
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When they arrived, they found Gage Burger unresponsive, with a gunshot wound to the head.
While moving Burger to take him to the hospital, a handgun was found underneath him, and several spent shell casings were nearby, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Police also found tire tracks, broken glass and other evidence indicating vehicles involved in the shooting fled after the shooting.
Officers spoke with Luvelle Neal at the hospital after he was treated for a gunshot wound.
Neal told police a man contacted him and said he wanted to buy 20 grams of cocaine for $1,300. He got a friend to drive him to 327 W. Marion Street to do the deal, reports said.
He told police he took his handgun with him to meet with the buyer and his brother, later identified as Gage Burger.
Neal said he got into the back of Burger's vehicle, then realized they didn't have the money to pay for the drugs. He told police Gage got out of the front passenger seat and started shooting at him while he was still in the back seat. He then fired multiple times at Gage.
Neal said he got shot in the chest and saw Gage fall in the parking lot.
After the shooting, Neal got out of the car and ran to a nearby neighborhood where he hid his handgun and the cocaine under a trash can.
Neal called his brother to come pick him up and take him to the hospital.
Officers located the handgun but not the cocaine, reports said.
Gage's brother spoke with police and told them Gage wanted to buy heroin, so he put Gage in contact with Neal to arrange the transaction, according to the probable cause affidavit.
When they arrived to the parking lot on W. Marion, Neal got into the back seat, pulled a gun and began to rob them, Gage's brother said.
Neal pistol whipped Gage in the head and demanded money, his brother told police.
Gage showed Neal he didn't have any money, then got out of the vehicle and he and Neal started shooting each other, reports said.
Gage's brother then drove away, but returned before police arrived. He told police he thought his brother was dead, heard sirens, and drove away again, reports said.
The car Gage was in had significant damage from gunfire to the back passenger compartment and the rear window was shattered, reports said.
The events were captured on surveillance video, according to investigators.
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY ON MARCH 19
Neal has also been charged in the March 19 attempted armed robbery at the Kroger store on Merrifield.
An employee of the store said a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and black mask partially covering his face held a gun to her head and demanded money, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The woman told the suspect she didn't have any money and he replied, "I'll shoot you right now," according to the probable cause affidavit.
He held the gun pressed to her head while she went to another employee for help.
The suspect demanded the second employee open the drawers, but when she did - there was no money inside, reports said.
The man fled the store on a bike heading west on 9th Street.
An officer saw a bike in front of a house on 9th Street. The residents didn't own the bike, so the officer processed it for fingerprints. The fingerprints returned as Neal's, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Surveillance video from the store showed the suspect wearing a hat with a letter "B" along with a sticker or tag on the bill. Investigators say they found a picture of Neal wearing a similar hat in a Facebook photo.
After Neal was taken into custody on March 23, the officers investigating the Kroger attempted armed robbery spoke with Neal.
At first he denied being involved in the Kroger attempted robbery. Later he said he knew what he did was wrong, but said he needed the money, according to reports.
He told police the gun used in the attempted robbery was the same gun recovered in the CMHU investigation.