Man charged with 5 Md. shootings denied bail

By MEREDITH SOMERS
Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Bail was denied Monday for the man charged with shooting at five public places in Maryland, including a National Security Agency building.

Prosecutor Wes Adams said Hong Young was a flight risk because police found a backpack at his home with a passport, toilet paper and energy bars.

Police also found 10 firearms, including a crossbow, several handguns and "hundreds of rounds of ammunition," Adams said.

Young, 35, appeared via video in Anne Arundel County District Court. Authorities who accompanied him said he "does have a mental health condition" but did not elaborate. Court documents show that Young told police that he heard voices telling him to shoot at a random driver.

Attorney William Davis said he had not yet seen hospital records for Young, who is charged with attempted murder and assault in a Feb. 24 shooting that injured a man near a mall last month. It was the first in a string of shootings that launched a manhunt.

Young did not say much, answering "Yes, your honor" to questions from the judge. He wore a short-sleeved shirt, and his dark hair, which was unkempt in early police pictures, was neater and parted in the middle.

The 61-year-old victim of the first shooting told police he was driving near a mall when a car pulled up beside his, and the driver "produced a gun and pointed it" at him. The man said he heard several shots and felt pain in his right shoulder, according to police reports.

Adams said investigators found a bullet lodged in the headrest of the victim's car. Police said his injuries resulted from broken windshield glass.

Young was arrested March 3 when officers spotted his car parked close to the location of the first shooting.