PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Two men accused of plotting a mass shooting at a high school graduation in Pontiac in the spring were in court for a preliminary examination Monday afternoon.
Jamarion Hardiman, 20, was bound over. Deahveon Whaley, 19, will be back in court for the preliminary examination on Wednesday morning.
Watch the entire preliminary exam in the video player above.
The men are each facing charges of carrying a firearm with unlawful intent, possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, and carrying a concealed weapon.
They allegedly were planning to shoot up the June 3 graduation for the Arts and Technology Academy, which was held on the United Wholesale Mortgage sports campus in Pontiac, but were foiled by Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies.
Neither suspect was enrolled at the school at the time of the alleged planned attack.
Security video from outside the United Wholesale Mortgage grounds was used in the hearing.
Defense attorney Gabi Silver argued for a reduced bond for Hardiman - saying that just because a loaded weapon was there didn't mean he was going to plan to use it.
"The fact that there was a loaded weapon present doesn't mean that there was any evidence of an unlawful intent to use," Silver said.
The judge shut down the request quickly.
"Ma'am, your client, I believe I recollect, is not even old enough to buy ammunition, let alone a gun here in the state of Michigan," she said. "I still believe that he is an acute and immediate danger to the community. And I will not reduce the bond."
Oakland County Sheriff averted mass shooting at school graduation in Pontiac
The Oakland County Sheriff says packages containing loaded firearms were placed under vehicles at the graduation ceremony. There were 80 rounds of ammunition between the two weapons.
What we know:
Police were called to the ceremony after a fight involving the two defendants broke out, and from there, they managed to uncover and stop the planned shooting.
While investigating the fight, deputies were told about a Snapchat thread, which included threats to shoot up the graduation.
Deputies got assistance from UWM security and were shown video of Hardiman and Whaley.
Hardiman assaulted an unidentified individual after he and Whaley entered together. After UWM security intervened, Hardiman, Whaley, and other individuals involved in the fight left the building, and the fight continued in the parking lot. The defendants were apparently unarmed at that time.
As seen in the video, Hardiman was then struck by a vehicle before both he and Whaley went to their vehicle and retrieved firearms.
The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office said the suspects were seen on video crouching behind vehicles in the parking lot before leaving the loaded guns under parked vehicles. These firearms, an AR-style pistol with a round drum that included 40 rounds of ammunition and a Glock pistol with a 40-round magazine, were later retrieved by deputies.
What we don't know:
It is unclear if the Snapchat threat was actually made by Hardiman or Whaley, so the men are currently only facing weapons charges.
"Law enforcement has not been able to verify the existence of the Snapchat. Therefore, we are moving forward with the charges presented by investigators," said Prosecutor Karen McDonald. "This graduation event was disrupted by a fight that required a police response and, rather than walking away, it appears these defendants retrieved a gun. That’s unacceptable, and we will hold them accountable."
Authorities also did not have a motive for the alleged crime.