A prosecutor said Friday that Anthony Evans had shown up at the house of his ex-girlfriend and his three children several times before the night of Aug. 2, when officers found him lying in the backyard, a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
The shot was fired in self-defense, said Eric Fabian of the Douglas County Attorney’s Office.
It came, Fabian said, moments after Evans attacked his girlfriend, throwing her to the ground and choking her, then hitting her with a metal pipe as she tried to flee.
Evans, 45, is charged with felony domestic violence assault and four counts of terroristic threats. A judge set bail for Evans on Friday at $125,000. Evans must pay 10 percent of that, or $12,500, to be released.
Fabian said the encounter on Aug. 2 began with Evans banging on the door of his ex-girlfriend’s house near 28th Avenue and Manderson Street, where she lived with other women.
He had shown up at the house several times that week to try to talk to the woman and his three children who lived there.
The ex-girlfriend hid the children in an upstairs bedroom and went to talk to Evans. That’s when he attacked her, threw her to the ground and choked her, Fabian said.
The woman was able to get away, Fabian said, but Evans came after her again, hitting her in the back and arm with a pipe and saying he was going to kill her and the other women who were there.
One of the other women had a firearm and told Evans to stop and back away, Fabian said. Evans said, “Go ahead and shoot me,” and continued swinging the pipe, the prosecutor said.
The woman fired the gun, hitting Evans in the lower abdomen, Fabian said.
Evans was discharged Wednesday from the Nebraska Medical Center, where he was treated for the gunshot wound. He was in a wheelchair for his Friday court appearance.
Evans’ ex-girlfriend suffered a broken arm and bruising.
Fabian said Evans has a felony conviction for attempted delivery of a controlled substance and has several convictions of misdemeanor assault.
Evans is set to have a preliminary hearing next month.