Connecticut man claims self-defense in shooting seen on video

STAMFORD, Conn. — A man caught on video spraying gunfire into a crowd outside a nightclub, injuring five people, was ordered held on $1 million bail Monday while insisting he was defending himself during a fight with other people.

Dayron Wills, 22, was arraigned in state Superior Court on felony assault and other charges in connection with the shooting outside Tino’s Nightclub in Stamford early Sunday. Police said four men and one woman were shot; all are expected to recover.

Wills’ lawyer, Darnell Crosland, said Wills was threatened by others with weapons, but the cellphone video doesn’t show that. Police didn’t announce any other arrests.

“It is dramatic footage,” Crosland said after Monday’s court appearance. “We want people to understand that it was amateur video that caught only one angle.”

The video taken by a witness shows a chaotic scene of people fleeing the area as the shooter fires a handgun numerous times.

Crosland denied police allegations that the shooting happened after Wills and another person argued over a woman. He said a group of people that attacked Wills may have mistaken him for someone else.

Wills will plead not guilty and argue for reduced bail at his next court appearance on July 28, Crosland said. He wasn’t able to post the $1 million bail.

Police said in a statement that the video shows Wills firing indiscriminately into the crowd, and that the five victims were innocent bystanders not involved in the dispute that preceded the attack. Wills legally owned the gun, authorities said.

During the arraignment, prosecutor Joseph Valdes called Wills a serious threat to the community and said the state’s case against him was strong.