S&R drive-by suspect in court

Molly Ball

Friday, Nov. 5, 2004 | 11:16 a.m.

The former NFL player accused in a drive-by shooting at the home of entertainers Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn appeared in court for the first time today and told Justice of the Peace James Bixler he could not afford to hire a lawyer.

Assistant Public Defender Daren Richards told the judge his office had already arranged to represent Cole Ford, a former kicker for the Oakland Raiders.

Richards said after the hearing that Ford might seek an insanity defense in the shooting.

"It's clear his mental state is an issue," Richards said.

The long-haired, bushy-bearded Ford, 31, was arrested Tuesday night at a Las Vegas copy shop in connection with the Sept. 21 shooting, in which a white minivan he owned allegedly cruised by the compound of the "Masters of the Impossible."

No one was hurt, but windows were shattered and walls damaged when shotgun blasts were allegedly fired from the van.

Ford faces six felony warrant charges of discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle and two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Police said they had not determined a motive for the crime.

Ford's three-year pro football career ended in 1997. In the early 1990s, he had played football for the University of Southern California.

He is to appear in court next on Nov. 22.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.