A Murray man was arraigned Tuesday on attempted murder and wanton endangerment charges after police said he fired a gun during a confrontation at a Back Street residence early Saturday.
Vi Jay Hill, 25, of Murray, was arrested and charged with one count of attempted murder, a Class B felony, punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison; and three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, each a Class D felony punishable by one to five years in prison.
The charges stem from an incident that allegedly took place early Saturday morning. According to a press release the Murray Police Department (MPD) issued Tuesday, officers responded to a residence on the south side of Murray at 3:49 a.m. after receiving a report about a shooting. Responding officers determined no one was injured.
According to the uniform citation, the residence where the shooting was reported was located on Back Street. Witnesses told officers that they did not really know Hill, but one witness identified him as “VJ.” The primary resident of the home was able to provide an image of the suspect from her Ring Doorbell camera.
A male victim told officers Hill took a statement “the wrong way” and brandished a gun, the citation states. When the victim grabbed his own gun, Hill allegedly began shooting at him. The victim told officers that he fired back, taking cover behind a wall, and Hill subsequently left the residence.
Multiple casings and bullet defects were found at the scene, the citation states, further noting that the locations where they were found were consistent with the victim’s account. In addition to other evidence collected at the scene, officers seized the victim’s gun.
MPD notified surrounding agencies to be on the lookout for Hill, according to the citation. Calloway County Sheriff’s Office deputies located him at his grandmother’s residence. While MPD was the arresting agency, deputies also served two active arrest warrants on Hill.
After obtaining a search warrant, officers found two firearms in a room where Hill appeared to be staying, one of which was a 9mm handgun with an empty magazine. The citation notes that the casings found at the scene were consistent with a 9mm handgun.
Hill was arraigned in Calloway District Court Tuesday morning, appearing by Zoom from the Calloway County Detention Center. After reading the charges and advising of their penalties, Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens started to address Hill’s bond but paused, noting that there appeared to be no bond. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney James Burkeen advised that Hill was being held on warrants in circuit court cases.
Court records show that Hill was arrested and charged with theft by unlawful taking, under $10,000, in November 2020 and was indicted by the grand jury in April 2021. After he failed to appear in Calloway Circuit Court for a hearing in November 2021, a bench warrant was issued. Hill also was indicted for first-degree bail jumping.
Under order from Calloway Circuit Judge Andrea Moore, he is being held without bail until he appears in court Monday, June 1, for arraignment in the bail jumping case and a status hearing in the theft case.
“Is this the one that they hadn’t served for like four years?” Hutchens asked.
Burkeen responded affirmatively, and the judge set bail in the new case at $10,000 cash.
Regarding representation, Hill advised that he would like to hire his own attorney, but Hutchens appointed the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy to ensure he has counsel at his preliminary hearing next week, adding that Hill is free to hire his own counsel at any time.
Hill is scheduled to return to court at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 3, for his preliminary hearing.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Story and screen capture republished in partnership with The Murray Sentinel. For more, click here.
Vi Jay Hill appears for his arraignment in Calloway District Court Tuesday morning via Zoom from the Calloway County Detention Center. (Zoom screenshot/The Murray Sentinel)
