Rockstarz shooting: Garden City judge needs time to review evidence before deciding if case goes to trial

GARDEN CITY, MI (FOX 2) - A Garden City judge said he needs time to review evidence before deciding to send a suspect to trial after a New Year's Day shooting that wounded two outside Rockstarz Bar.

Brian Lindsay appeared in court Monday as Judge Richard Hammer heard hours of testimony. Hammer said he wants to review that testimony and rematch video from the shooting, and will tentatively reconvene on Feb. 9 to share his decision.

The backstory:

Lindsay, 30, of Livonia, was charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, two counts of felonious assault, and six counts of felony firearm after the shooting in the parking lot of Rockstarz.

Police were called to the bar on Ford Road around 4:15 a.m. Jan. 1 after a 55-year-old man and his 22-year-old son, both from Livonia, were found with gunshot wounds in the parking lot. They suffered critical injuries, and were taken to hospitals for treatment. The younger man, Brendan Kewin, has since been released from a hospital, while his father, Dennis, remains unconscious, according to testimony.

According to police, a fight led to Lindsay allegedly shooting the older man in the head and the younger man in the chest before fleeing.

Lindsay turned himself into police the next day. 

Dig deeper:

Lindsay's attorney said during his arraignment that the shooting was self-defense. 

According to the lawyer, before the shooting, the father and son allegedly pulled Lindsay out of his vehicle and started assaulting him. This led to Lindsay, who is a concealed pistol license holder, shooting them.

The lawyer said this interaction was caught on security video, but that video has not been released. 

During arraignment, a judge set Lindsay's bond at $1 million after saying that he had doubts that he was sincerely acting in self-defense.

Hammer revisited Lindsay's bond during the preliminary examination. The judge said that because there is a chance the case could become a murder trial if Dennis Kewin does not survive, his bond should remain the same. 

Details revealed at prelim:

During the preliminary examination, six witnesses were called to testify, including shooting victim Brendan Kewin, several people who were celebrating New Year's Eve at the bar, Garden City police, and Lindsay's partner who was with him.

According to Lindsay's partner, Catherine Honke, the couple had been at the bar from around 10 p.m. Dec. 31, 2025, until around 4 a.m. The shooting happened when Lindsay went outside to move his vehicle closer to the bar's door as the couple prepared to leave. 

Security video captured Lindsay attempting to back into a spot where a group was gathered. While most of the group moved out of the way, Dennis Kewin stayed behind the vehicle until Honke pushed him. 

Video then showed Dennis Kewin going toward the driver's side of Lindsay's vehicle. The door opened, though the video is not clear enough to see who opened the door, according to Garden City Police Detective Micah Hull, who testified as the video was shown. As the door opened, Lindsay came out of his vehicle with what Hull testified was a handgun in his hand.

There was an altercation that was hard to see because of a smudge on the corner of the camera. Several witnesses testified that they saw Lindsay choking Dennis Kewin, but Lindsay's defense attorney noted that those witnesses did not see what led to that moment.

During that struggle, three shots were fired before Lindsay left the scene.

About an hour later, Lindsay called police to report what happened, and he turned himself in about 10 hours later. When he arrived at the Garden City Police Department, he had a black eye, a knot on his head, and was limping. His attorney, Ted Wallace, argued that this shows his client was injured during the encounter, while the prosecution pushed back against this, saying that the injuries could have happened after he left the bar. 

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