Ypsilanti man sentenced to prison for Dream Nite Club shooting in Ann Arbor
When Cornelius Wilson was sentenced Tuesday for firing shots in May that injured a man next to downtown Ann Arbor’s Dream Nite Club, he stood before the same judge who jailed the gunman responsible for killing his brother two years ago.
That fact haunted his parents, Mark and Tina Wilson, as they sat in Circuit Court Judge Donald Shelton’s courtroom and watched their surviving son face charges of his own.
Shelton sent Wilson, 21, Ypsilanti, to prison for two years on a felony firearms charge and at least another 36 months for assault with intent to commit bodily harm less than murder. Police said he shot a man in the forearm around 2 a.m. May 29 in a parking lot near Dream Nite Club. Wilson was credited for 44 days already served.
Dream Nite Club
Prosecutors dropped other weapons charges and counts of assault with intent to murder earlier this year as part of a plea deal in Wilson's case.
“I know what I did was wrong, but I reacted off instinct,” Wilson told Shelton, just before he was sentenced.
As Wilson’s parents later stood outside in a halfway, they recalled how Cornelius was with his brother, Cortez Donald, in May 2009 on an Ypsilanti Township street corner near their home when a man pulled a gun and fired shots in Donald’s direction, killing him.
Mark and Tina Wilson said nothing could excuse their son’s choice to pull a weapon in May near the downtown club, but the memory of his brother dying at the hands of a gunman was a source of pain Cornelius Wilson never could push aside. He’d carried a weapon ever since, out of fear, they said.
“When he heard a gunshot, that’s what made him react,” Tina Wilson said. “Cornelius has been traumatized ever since. He’s been going downhill.”
That's what defense attorney Kara Harms argued in court as she stood before Shelton Tuesday.
“Your Honor, I’m not going to argue this is not a serious offense, because it is,” she said. “That day, that night at the club, he heard shots and fired back. He (earlier) saw his brother gunned down in front of him, and reacted. It was wrong, but he did it.”
Police said the man injured by Wilson's gunfire in May was taken by ambulance to the University of Michigan Hospital with non life-threatening injuries to his arm.
The incident happened just as the club was closing.
Officers said about 10 people were together at a bar when several got into a fight and headed outside to leave. That group was followed by another group of between 30 and 50 people. Words were exchanged and gunfire rang out.
A 23-year-old man suspected of firing at least two shots into the air the same night was arrested but was later released pending further investigation. That man had a permit for his handgun, Ann Arbor Police Lt. Mark St. Amour said.
Cornelius Wilson, he said, did not.
The incident followed a May 1 bout of violence at Dream Nite Club when a man cut two men in the face and a woman in the leg with a sharp object during a fight on the dance floor.
The City of Ann Arbor has since filed a lawsuit against the club’s owners in an attempt to have the teen hangout considered a nuisance and permanently closed. A court-appointed receiver was named in June to oversee weekend security for a month.
Circuit Court Judge Melinda Morris is expected to take that case up for review again in August.
Heidi Fenton covers police and courts for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heidifenton@annarbor.com or 734-623-4673. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
RJA
Thu, Jul 14, 2011 : 1:23 a.m.
So does the court appointed receiver have anything to add since his post there on the weekends in June?
Heidi Fenton
Thu, Jul 14, 2011 : 4:14 p.m.
@RJA Thanks for reading. I spoke yesterday with David Shand, who is representing Dream Nite Club in court. Shand said the receiver will submit a report next week directly to Circuit Court Judge Melinda Morris, explaining his observations and suggestions for any changes to security practices. He cannot comment on his findings until Morris has reviewed the report.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 6:42 p.m.
"I know what I did was wrong, but I reacted off instinct," "Mark and Tina Wilson said nothing could excuse their son's choice to pull a weapon" Nothing could excuse their son's choice for HAVING the weapon. This was premeditated. Pulling it was an afterthought to the CRIME of having it there in the first place. He got a slap on the wrist. Too bad.
Ricebrnr
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 1:46 a.m.
Oh and btw all my guns and those of my friends were designed to defend our lives and those of our loved ones. People like you will make it so when you eventually do rethink your stance...well too bad, you wont have a CHOICE in the matter.
Ricebrnr
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 1:40 a.m.
And alcohol is only meant to inebriate people. Cars are only designed to speed... Matches are only designed to start fires... Really? Apparently we fear what we don't understand, and are unwilling to learn.
EyeHeartA2
Thu, Jul 14, 2011 : 1:09 a.m.
I really don't care how much money the guys at Smith and Wesson make and it is completely irrelevant to your argument. He used the gun illegally, I have not patience for that. Get tough with gun crimes and it wouldn't be a problem. As it is, this guy is a prime candidate for another "reaction" in the future. Maybe buying sunglasses or something like that.
JS
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 7:40 p.m.
I don't condone this guy's choices at all and I agree. But think about how much money the top dogs at Smith & Wesson (or whomever) are raking in, selling an instrument designed almost solely for ending human life. If these stupid weapons were not being produced, the issue would decline. And don't give me that "it's not their fault, they only sell them legally" stuff. These guys know damn well where the guns they produce are ending up.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 7:04 p.m.
If he had an aversion to hand guns, perhaps he should shy away from areas where he thinks he might need one. He might also investigate getting a CCW, you know, like law abiding citizens do. Either that, or be a gang banger and rot in prison. Too bad it wasn't for a longer time. Weather his brother was shot in front of him or not makes no difference to me or the person HE shot. Nice blame shifting.
JS
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 6:53 p.m.
Sorry but when was the last time you saw your brother shot to death in front of you? I frigging HATE handguns, but if I had seen my brother murdered I might rethink my position on handgun ownership. And concurrently I would work to inform others about the terrible effects of handguns. They were invented to kill human beings, period.
aawolve
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 5:08 p.m.
"but I reacted off instinct." Spoken like a true beast.
djm12652
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 5:55 p.m.
and I carried it illegally and went into a bar because I felt safe or threatened? Typical excuse for criminal behavior..."it's not my fault, I'm really a victim"
eyesofjustice
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 2:49 p.m.
Its strange, AnnArbor.com in all the stories never mentions the shooting happened on Federal Post Office Parking Lot, that is suppose to be locked and secured!! There were a estimated 25 to 35 cars parked illegally inside the area......
racerx
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 2:29 p.m.
Wait. A teen night club? Don't you have to be 21 for entry since the place serves liquor? So the shooting that Wilson is guilty of didn't happen inside the club, but outside in a parking lot "near" the night club. Though you wouldn't get this prospective from the writing of this article since there's two different paragraphs denoting the same. So, lets say for instance, that the rowdy parties that occur each year on Greenwood St and the open liquor arrest, minors in possessions, stabbings, e.t.c., will the city attempt to close the University of Michigan? One could argue that the two are way different since nobody is or yet, got shot. But the logic is the same is it not? A "nuisance" and should be permanently closed. Sorry. But again, it's who the clientele is. Same with the furor over the store Bongs & Thongs. A legitimate business, but some people don't want that type of business in the city. Still, how can a person who fired shots into the air not face any charges regardless if he had a permit to carry the weapon or not? Where is that bullet going when it eventually lands? What was the rationale for not pressing for more serious charges. Ok, lets all get CCW permits, something jumps off, we'll just fire our guns in the air. Nothing will happen to us! Just like the old western's! Yahoo!
racerx
Thu, Jul 14, 2011 : 3:04 p.m.
@a2roots-see the story in today's paper (7/14/11) about the Greenwood St. hearing being rescheduled.
a2roots
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 4:54 p.m.
@racerx...Now you blast Greenwood St. I don't condone the parties but they are going to happen. Also I don't condone the stabbings and beatings that occur in the area. Appears the students are easy prey for thugs that look for opportunity. Since the thugs have not been caught it is only a guess as to where they are from. But let's see, my guess is somewhere other than Ann Arbor.
Wolf's Bane
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 1:39 p.m.
Someone still needs to sue Dream Nite Club!
Wolf's Bane
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 1:37 p.m.
Hmm, Cornelius Wilson stated that he "acted out of instinct...", for real? Someone needs some counseling.
treetowncartel
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 4:26 p.m.
You didn't know that arrying a sidearm is now becoming an innate human trait? Soon enough, Wookies will be speaking English too.
Andrew Jason Clock
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 1:35 p.m.
I'm with EightySeven. I wonder, when we read, in a few months, about the two men from A2 that shot a man from Ypsilanti on Thompson street a couple weeks ago, will it read "Two Ann Arbor Men Sentenced in shooting of Ypsilanti Man" Probably not.
a2roots
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 6:49 p.m.
@racerx...Why does the race card have to be played? Look at the statistics and you will know who is committing the crimes with weapons in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. It surely isn't the college kids you dislike.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 6:44 p.m.
"[racerx race baiting snipped for brevity]" ..barf..
racerx
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 2:40 p.m.
This a long standing issue that I've been having with A2.com. It is somewhat dependent on the race of the person in how it is presented and reported. Once the headlines of "Ypsilanti" is placed in the headlines, one is going to assume, due to the racial makeup of the city, that a person of color might be involved. Though when the person in a crime story is not a minority, it is presented much different. One can look at the description when a person of color is involved in a crime story from the News. There is typically a full description as to the race. Though at times, if the person is not of color, there is no mentioning of this. Am I using the race card? Ask the News. Have them check their stories. Ask how many person's of color are on staff. It's the simple journalism line, "if it bleeds, it leads".
tdw
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 2:24 p.m.
Andrew I'm with you.Notice how the article about the guy with 10 kilo's does not say "Man from Canada " if it was a person from Ypsi , Ypsilanti would be the third word in the headline
a2roots
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 12:19 p.m.
@87...Check the crime blotter for this place. Outsiders have caused the bulk of the problems. This does not let the owners/managers off the hook for not having proper control measures. Unfortunately outsiders as you call them have little respect for any authority or for one another.
djm12652
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 5:50 p.m.
@racerx...where were the cops? They got laid off, and just recently 4 more lay-offs and most likely another 10 cops to be laid off first of the year. So can we expect more trouble from "outsiders"?
a2roots
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 4:49 p.m.
@racerx...Why is it the police's fault for not being there? As I said the owners and managers have proven to be unable to manage the place. That does not make it ok for the thugs to go outside and shoot it up. Parents say "instinct", wow...nice way to raise a child. When was the last time there was a shootout on campus started by the students you apparently despise? Your bias surely shows.
racerx
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 2:32 p.m.
@aroots-check the story, the incident didn't happen inside the club, but outside. Where was the police who can easily patrol the area outside the club at 2am? And the same "outsiders" can be used to describe those UM students who wreck havoc throughout the city (though on campus) during football Saturday's. So I guess it's ok for upper middle class students can have little respect for any authority or for one another.
EightySeven
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 10:41 a.m.
Way to put Ypsilanti in the headline this is sure to lead to a lot of responses. Anything that takes away the focus of why this place stays open and the amount of trouble that takes place their. This night club is Ann Arbor darling little child, but put the blame on all the "Outsiders!"
JS
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 6:47 p.m.
If I'm not mistaken, the man who was shooting at people outside the Ann Arbor night club (however seedy it may be) was an Ypsilanti resident.