Gun Discharges in Assault – Rochester Man Held on $300K Bail

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Bail was set at $300,000 today for a Rochester man accused of striking his brother with a handgun, which discharged during the alleged assault.

The criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court against 46-year-old Clifford Marquis Hankins says Rochester police responded to a home in southwest Rochester late Monday afternoon to investigate a report of a weapons violation. The report stated that Hankins had come into the residence with a gun, assaulted his brother with the weapon, and the firearm went off.

According to the court document, the responding officers were told that Hankins was highly agitated and appeared to have been drinking when he got into an argument with his brother. It is alleged that he pulled a black pistol from his pocket and hit his brother behind his right ear with the handle of the gun.

The charges also alleged that as the victim was falling backward, Hankins struck him on the bridge of the nose with a gun, which then discharged. The victim and witnesses told police Hankins then fled from the residence.

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The criminal complaint says the officers found the victim bleeding from the bridge of his nose and with blood on his hands and abdomen. One of the witnesses was an 8-year-old girl, who stated that she was playing a game on her phone when she saw Hankins hit the victim twice in the face and heard the gun fire.

The officers located an apparent bullet strike a few inches above the middle of the couch in the living room.

The court document says Hankins was later arrested after his vehicle was located parked at a residence in the 1500 block of 45th Street Northwest. A search of the residence located a Glock 48 pistol in an attic area in the garage.

The criminal complaint also notes that Hankins was convicted of felony drug possession in Illinois in 2011 and was prohibited from possessing firearms and/or ammunition.

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