LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A man charged with a fatal shooting that killed two people and injured three others in the California neighborhood faced a judge Friday.
Abrahem Balata was arrested Jan. 15 in connection with the shooting in late December at 22nd and Garland Avenue, near Dr. W. J. Hodge Street. According to court documents, Balata entered a detached garage at the house where the shooting happened and shot the five men "with the intent to cause death."Â
Two men died at the scene, and the other three were hospitalized with serious injuries. One of the surviving victims identified Balata as the shooter, according to court documents.Â
During Balata's Jan. 17 arraignment, prosecutors detailed his criminal past, saying he is already wanted for cutting off his home incarceration monitor. He also has four outstanding warrants in Henry County for criminal mischief, receiving stolen property, trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of a stolen gun and burglary. He's also facing charges in Oldham and Trimble counties, as well as an active previous warrant out of Jefferson County.Â
District Judge Mary Jude Wolford determined Balata is a flight risk, and set his bond at $1 million cash, with home incarceration if he posts it. She also ordered a public defender be appointed to represent him.
Balata is due back in court on Jan. 24.Â
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