Two trials ordered in wounding of cop

Kim Smith

Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000 | 11:18 a.m.

Two men accused of participating in a robbery that resulted in the loss of a Metro Police officer's eye will be tried separately.

District Judge Donald Mosley Tuesday ordered the separate trials after Chief Deputy District Attorney David Wall told him that the prosecution and defense attorney David Amesbury agree that Markus Weatherspoon and Darnell Harris should not be tried together because Harris has made incriminating statements about Weatherspoon to police.

Harris' trial is set for Sept. 25, and Weatherspoon's is now set for March 5. They are being held on $1 million bail each.

Their indictments charge that Weatherspoon and Harris robbed the Macayo Vegas restaurant, 4457 W. Charleston Blvd., June 14 with unknown others.

Police believe that after leaving the restaurant, Harris shot at Officer Pete Rossi's vehicle twice, striking his front bumper and windshield. One of the bullets hit Rossi, 26, in the face, wounding him in the left eye.

Weatherspoon and Harris went on to carjack a woman, the indictment alleges. She was later released unharmed.

Also on Tuesday Amesbury asked Mosley to issue an order that would release Weatherspoon from isolation at the Clark County Detention Center.

Wall objected, telling Mosley that witnesses in the case have been receiving threatening calls from Weatherspoon and his associates. Rather than change Weatherspoon's accommodations, perhaps he should lose his phone privileges, Wall said.