An Arizona man who allegedly fired several shots at a motorist outside a Cabazon gas station pleaded not guilty Friday to an attempted murder charge.
Billy Marshall, 32, of Phoenix, was initially booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the July 14 non-injury shooting and released on $25,000 bail. Prosecutors filed the attempted murder charge against him last week.
After entering his plea in a Banning courtroom Friday morning, Marshall was taken into custody on $1.1 million bail. He is due back in court Sept. 10 for a felony settlement conference.
Marshall allegedly tried to speak with the unidentified victim while the man was sitting in his car at a 76 gas station at 300 N. Fern St. shortly before 2 a.m.
The motorist had just put gas in his car and was sitting in the driver’s seat when Marshall knocked on the driver’s side window, according to an arrest warrant declaration. The man ignored him and Marshall knocked again and asked the driver to roll down his window, but the man drove away, the declaration states.
As he was driving away, he allegedly saw Marshall remove a handgun from the waistband of his sweat pants and fire several shots at the car, the declaration alleges. The victim was not struck by the gunfire and drove just down the road onto Railroad Avenue, where he parked and called the sheriff’s department.
Responding deputies found Marshall at a Dollar General store adjacent to the gas station and took him into custody.
A motive for the shooting was not disclosed, nor was it clear whether the gun used in the shooting was found.
