HINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A 60-year-old Hingham man was the subject of a court hearing Wednesday after he was charged with firing a gun during a road rage incident outside of the Hingham Public Library last Thursday.
Steven License, 60, of Hingham, is charged with Assault to Murder, Assault and Battery Attempt with a Firearm, Assault and Battery Attempt with a Firearm, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Discharging a Firearm within 500 Feet of a Building, and Disorderly Conduct.
Hingham police officers responding to the library parking lot at 66 Leavitt Street said they determined the incident began several miles away from the library, when License’s wife threw a tissue out of their car window. A man in a truck followed the couple’s car to the library parking lot, where License’s wife and the truck driver got out of their cars and into a heated verbal argument. License, who is wheelchair bound, told police he fired from the passenger seat to protect his wife.
“What the evidence will tell you, is that this gentleman placed his hands on my client’s [License’s] wife and that my client said, ‘I’m warning you. I’m warning you. I’m warning you. I’m warning you.’ Five times,” said Nate Amendola, License’s Defense Attorney.
License’s wife was in court, but the defendant remained in South Shore Hospital where he has been since the incident.
Police said the driver of the truck was not hurt and took off from the scene. He later reached out to police.
Wednesday’s hearing was to determine whether License is too dangerous to release from custody. The prosecutor argued the reckless way he fired the shots shows that he is.
“The time of day here was about 5:30 p.m. I would argue that this is the time that multiple people, especially children, would be out and about, and any one of these individuals could have been struck by a stray bullet here intended for the main victim,” said Joe Presley, the Prosecutor.
The judge sided with the prosecution, but said License could be released in the future under certain conditions including home confinement, GPS monitoring, and posting $5,000 bail.
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