By Steve Marroni
DALLASTOWN – When David Hohman
pulled up to an apartment building on the 300 block of Brentwood Drive in York
Township, he hadn't yet come to a stop when he saw Baltimore Police Officer John
E. Torres pull out his glock firearm.
"He pulled out his service
weapon, and shot through the windshield," Hohman testified at the
preliminary hearing held Monday for Torres, who faces charges of criminal
attempt at criminal homicide and aggravated assault after the April 29
shooting.
When that first round was
fired, Hohman felt something – a bullet or a shard of glass – graze his head,
and blood gushed into his eyes as he ducked down into his car for cover, he
testified.
But Torres, 33, fired again,
striking the front of Hohman's Nissan. After a short pause, another shot came
through the driver's side door, and tore through Hohman's legs, he testified.
Hohman closed his eyes, covered
up, and told the court he could hear Torres at the door, unloading his gun on
him.
"I heard gunshot after
gunshot, and I got hit all over the place," Hohman, who was brought into
the courtroom in a wheelchair, said.
Hohman was struck six to eight
times in the arm, legs and abdomen, and Magisterial District Judge Scott Laird
found there was enough evidence in the shooting case against Torres to bound
the charges over to York County Court.
Under questioning from York
County Senior Assistant District Attorney Kelley Nelson, Hohman said he went to
the apartment that day with the intent of telling Torres' wife about an
inappropriate relationship he said Torres was having with his own wife. Public
Defender Caty Houtman, however, was building the case that Torres may have
thought Hohman was coming after him with a gun, noting Hohman had sent text
messages to Torres saying he was, "not someone to [expletive] with,"
and telling Torres he was coming to his home.
According to Hohman's
testimony, he and Torres had worked together at a grocery store in Maryland
where Torres had a second job doing security. While working there, Hohman
discovered Torres was having what he testified was an inappropriate
relationship with his wife, and in January, had asked Torres to break it off.
But Hohman found out later that
Torres was sending text messages to a mutual friend, asking about Hohman's
wife, according to testimony, so Hohman said he intended to drive from
Baltimore to Torres's home to tell Torres' wife about the situation.
Just as he was arriving,
though, Torres was walking out of his apartment building, in uniform, and on
his way to testify in a court case. When they saw each other, Hohman said he
gave a slight wave, and that's when Torres pulled out his gun, and began
firing.
According to court documents,
Torres told investigating officers he had fired at Hohman because he was
fearful Hohman had a shotgun, and was going to kill him. When Torres' attorney
asked Hohman if he owned a gun, Hohman said "no," but when she asked
if he owned guns previously and they had been taken away from him, the prosecution
raised an objection, ending that line of questioning.
York Area Regional Police
Detective Trent E. Buschman testified on Monday, as well, and said Torres was
one of several people to call 911 after the shooting. The detective said Torres
had fired all 14 rounds from his gun at Hohman, and most of the bullet holes
were in the driver's side door.
Torres is to appear in court
next for his formal arraignment on July 11.