Hate crime suspect accidentally shoots self during fight

DETROIT (WJBK) - The man charged in a hate crime that went viral appeared in court Monday in a wheelchair after a gun accident.

Last month, we showed you the video of the alleged crime that was making the rounds. Prosecutors say that in the video, Steven Edwards points a gun at a stranger while shouting gay slurs.

"Hey take your (expletive) pants off, man get the (expletive) on before I bust your (expletive)," the man says in the video. "Gay (expletive)."

On the description of the video, the man wrote, 'I hate gay (n-words).'

The 32-second video quickly went viral.

The victim was able to get away and was not physically harmed.

A 20-year-old named Steven Edwards eventually turned himself into Detroit Police. A lieutenant had been in contact with Edwards' family negotiating.

He has been charged with Felonious Assault, Carrying a Concealed Weapon in a Motor Vehicle, and Felony Firearm.

Edwards was due in court yesterday, and while there he waived his preliminary hearing. He arrived for court in a wheelchair because of a gunshot wound.

The prosecutor explained how he was injured - and used that as an argument for why his bond should not be lowered.

"The defendant's gunshot wound was self inflicted when he got into a fight with another individual, pulled a gun on that person, tried to shoot that person and accidentally shot himself," the prosecutor stated.

She added that although he turned himself in, he never turned in the weapon seen in the Twitter video or the one that he accidentally shot himself with.

"Therefore, he still has access to that gun if he is released," the prosecutor said.

Despite the prosecutor's arguments, the judge lowered Edwards' bond from $250,000 to $100,000 cash.

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 2 for updates.