It wasn't a warning shot, Corey says

State attorney Angela Corey says there are many important facts not being reported about Marissa Alexander's case.

State Attorney Angela Corey tells us that Congresswoman Corrine Brown needs to get the facts straight on the Marissa Alexander case.

Corey says that Alexander fired the gun in the direction of her husband and kids, and her life was not in danger at the time.

After Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison for three counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, Congresswoman Brown lashed out at Corey saying she and the judgment are wrong.

"This is not acceptable," Brown said. "And this baby, this family, this community – this is not the end. This is the beginning."

At the courthouse, Angela Corey explained to Brown that the legislature says that once someone discharges a firearm near other humans, it’s a 20 year mandatory sentence if convicted.

Brown’s opinion is that this is a case of institutional racism.

“And the fact is, if there was a Stand Your Ground Case, it’s this one,” Brown said to Corey. “And the judge denied Stand Your Ground…But my feeling is that your office initially overcharged her in this case.  This is my feeling.”

In an interview with WOKV, Angela Corey says the fact is Marissa Alexander fired a shot in the direction of her husband, Rico Gray, and the two children.  That shot went into a wall, “out the other side of the wall where they were standing and deflected up into the ceiling at that point.”

“We believe part of the reason people are upset is they think that he was coming at her and she just fired a warning shot into the ceiling,” Corey said.

“That is absolutely not true, not what happened, and their story is not corroborated by the physical evidence.”

The 9-1-1 call and the location of the bullet’s shell casing were evidential to the story that she walked in and fired at them.

Corey says the Stand Your Ground defense didn’t hold up to the judge because Alexander wasn’t in a struggle for her life.  Alexander had a procedural hearing for the motion and the judge did not grant it.

There was a verbal argument, she says, and there were no signs of physical abuse on Alexander that day.  Rico Gray was getting ready to leave the house with the kids when Alexander went into the garage, got the gun, came back, and fired it in their direction.

Corey said Gray and the two children didn’t come to court because they felt threatened.

“Rico Gray senior and his two children – and I emphasize children – were victims in this case, and we fought fairly under Florida’s laws to address the wrong that had been done to them, especially the children.”

On Friday, Congresswoman Brown released a statement about her discontent with the ruling.  Here are the first two paragraphs:

"Earlier today, I watched in horror and extreme sadness as Judge James Daniel sentenced Marissa Alexander, a documented victim of domestic violence, to a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison for firing warning shot into the air after she was attacked by her husband.

The imbalance in this case was abundantly clear in the courtroom. On the State’s Attorney side of the room, I saw nine prosecutors and twenty officers. On Marissa’s side, I saw a lone defense attorney doing his best in what looked like an unfair fight.”

In response to that press release, Angela Corey said, “That press release mentions who was in the courtroom.  What is fails to mention are the three people who were not in the courtroom.  And that’s our three victims who were afraid to come to court based on threats that have been made to them throughout this case.”

“Those three also happen to be Congresswoman Brown’s constituents.  So I’m not sure what she would say if she looked those two children, who are black, in the eyes and read that statement to them.  So on behalf of those two children I say that the people of the state of Florida saw justice done.”

Corey reiterated that no shot was fired into the air, “and that if someone’s going to issue a press release they should at least get the facts straight.”

“We tried so hard to work this case out and give Marissa Alexander some benefit for the mitigation she claimed.”

She says Alexander was first offered three years.

Corey says the state attorney “has the discretion to deviate downwards” on cases that involve ten years, twenty years, or life in prison.

“In this particular case, after meeting with Rico Gray senior and his two sons and also meeting with Marissa Alexander, we were convinced that a three year minimum mandatory sentence would serve justice under these circumstances.

Alexander turned down the three-year offer.

She was already serving jail time and did not want to serve more.

On a bond issued by the court judge, Alexander was ordered to have no contact with Rico Gray and his two sons.  Three months later, she went over to where Rico Gray was living, got into an argument with him, hit him and gave him a black eye, Corey says.  She then left the scene.

“She then lied to the police on the phone saying she had an alibi.”

When Alexander met with police, she admitted she went over to Gray’s residence but said that he had hit her.

Upon examination of both Gray and Alexander, evidence showed that “there were no injuries on her, but Rico had a black eye.”

Marissa Alexander is now planning her appeal to the sentencing.