SAN DIEGO -- San Ysidro High School basketball star Mikey Williams, who was recruited by the University of Memphis, made a plea Thursday in connection to a shooting outside his Jamul home.
While facing a judge in a San Diego courtroom, the 19-year-old plead guilty to a single count of making criminal threats, FOX 5 confirmed while at the proceedings.
Williams was first arrested in April on suspicion of assault with deadly weapon. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said he was taken into custody in connection with an altercation that occurred shortly before midnight on March 27.
The incident, which SDSO said was reported the next day, started as a verbal argument about guests being asked to leave from a home in Jamul.
Five people, including three minors, got into a car and were driving away when shots were allegedly fired at the vehicle. The car was hit, SDSO said, but nobody inside was hurt.
Williams was arrested on suspicion of five counts of assault with a deadly weapon, while deputies served a search warrant to the house. Officials confirmed to FOX 5 that Williams had one firearm in his possession at the time of his arrest.
He was booked into the San Diego Central Jail, and then posted bond.
Following Thursday's plea, Williams will need to complete anger and gun safety courses by his scheduled Aug. 12, 2024, sentencing date. If completed, the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor.
"Mikey accepted responsibility for his actions. He has shared with me that he regrets what went down that night, that it would not happen again in the future and he wishes he could change the way things happened. He was an 18-year-old kid, he felt threatened, and he responded in an inappropriate manner," Randy Grossman, Mikey William's attorney said. "Our goal was to get Mikey back on campus, back on the basketball court where he's been his entire life."
Grossman said Williams has been taking online courses and paying for them out of pocket, and is hoping to move forward and go to campus at the University of Memphis and play basketball.
"It’s really up to the school on what they want to do. Coach Hardaway has been very supportive of Mikey Williams and has continued to remain supportive, as has Memphis," Grossman added.
It's not clear if Williams lost any of his endorsements.
If convicted of the charges Williams faced, he could have spent years behind bars.
"Cases are individually looked at. There is no rubber stamp for any set type of case. Going through the details of Mr. Williams' age, lack of criminal record, everything that took place that night, both sides got together, worked really hard and came up with a resolution that we both believe creates justice for Mr. Williams, the community," Deputy District Attorney George Modlie said.