Alleged shooter faces misdemeanor charge

COEUR d'ALENE - A 26-year-old Coeur d'Alene man has now been charged with a misdemeanor related to a shooting incident that occurred one year ago.

Felony charges against Adam M. Johnson from the downtown Coeur d'Alene shooting were dismissed in January 2010.

On Thursday, Johnson appeared at the Kootenai County Courthouse briefly on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon while under the influence, which is a misdemeanor. Johnson was the alleged shooter from a December 2009 confrontation that sent two Moses Lake, Wash., men to the hospital.

Johnson appeared before Judge Patrick McFadden, who entered a not guilty plea on Johnson's behalf as Johnson applies for a public defender to represent him on the new charge.

A grand jury in Kootenai County decided a year ago this month that Johnson would not stand trial for the much more serious felony charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery. The Kootenai County prosecutor's office said then it would not re-file those charges.

The new misdemeanor charge was filed by the city of Coeur d'Alene.

Johnson was facing decades in prison for allegedly shooting Brandon J. Burgess in the stomach and Bradley J. Phillips below the kneecap outside a downtown Coeur d'Alene bar near the intersection of Sherman Avenue and Third Street on Dec. 27, 2009.

Both of the injured men were 25 years old at the time of the shooting. Burgess was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and Phillips was treated at Kootenai Medical Center.

Witness accounts of the shooting given to police varied widely.

Some described Johnson's actions as self-defense. Some said he was the aggressor, yelling at the men and pulling the gun out unprovoked, according to police reports.

Johnson told police he was attacked by a half dozen men.

Johnson said he recognized the group of men from an earlier confrontation at a bar when they crossed paths again later on Sherman Avenue. Fighting ensued along with about six shots fired by Johnson.