A Greenwood man has been officially charged after police say he tried to kill two family members last weekend.
Joseph Mak Davidson, 20, is charged with nine felonies and two misdemeanors stemming from a domestic disturbance incident on the 900 block of Cherry Tree Lane around 10:30 a.m. Sunday. This is in the Cherry Tree Walk neighborhood on the city’s west side.
The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office formally filed the following charges Wednesday: attempted murder as a Level 1 Felony, two counts of intimidation as a Level 5 Felony, criminal recklessness and possession of a machine gun as a Level 5 Felony, two counts of domestic battery as a Level 6 Felony and two counts of criminal recklessness as a misdemeanor.
The incident was reported by one of the adult males who Davidson reportedly fired upon. The man reported that Davidson shot at him and his son several times as they were driving away from the home. No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting, but the gunfire damaged a truck and a neighbor’s garage, according to the probable cause affidavit filed with Johnson Superior Court 3.
Upon arrival, Greenwood police found five spent .45 caliber shell casings near the front door. A female relative told police Davidson was upstairs in his bedroom. He was initially unwilling to come out but eventually compiled, court documents say.
Several witnesses reported Davidson was in a verbal argument that escalated to shoving with the female family member, when the man intervened and a physical altercation ensued, court documents say.
With the male who was shot at, police reviewed video footage of Davidson entering the residence with two friends at around 2:44 a.m. They appeared to be intoxicated and held up an object that looked like a gun, court documents say.
Knowing that Davidson was in the house with a gun, the man told police he slept on the couch for safety. He avoids speaking with Davidson because he is “volatile” and has threatened his life before, court documents say.
The man woke up at around 10 a.m. and told Davidson’s female relative how he had come home with friends and they had a gun. The relative confronted Davidson about that and set off the chain of events leading to the shooting, court documents say.
During the struggle between the man and Davidson, Davidson broke away and went to his room and rifled through a bag that was near his bed. While this was occurring, the female relative urged the man and his son to leave, which they attempted to do, court documents say.
As the man was pulling out of the driveway, Davidson stepped out of the house, pointed a firearm at the man’s truck and started shooting. The man heard several metal-on-metal sounds as the bullets hit the truck, court documents say.
The man pulled away and traveled a short distance before his vehicle became disabled. He didn’t have his cell phone, so he borrowed one from a citizen to report the incident, court documents say.
After Davidson went back inside the house, the female relative yelled at him about the shooting. In response, Davidson reportedly pointed the gun at her before going upstairs, court documents say.
A neighbor also reported damage to his garage door and showed police a bullet fragment that landed in his driveway, court documents say.
Police found bullet holes in the truck’s tires and in the truck itself. The bullet holes were concentrated near the front cargo area of the truck, the court documents say.
In a search of Davidson’s bedroom, they found a handgun safe disguised to look like a book entitled “Bedtime Stories for Unexpected Guests” that was authored by “We the People.” The safe contained .45 caliber ammunition, a pink Glock switch — used to convert a semi-automatic weapon to an automatic one — and multiple magazines.
Speaking to police about the incident, Davidson said he “woke up to some bulls***” which was the female family member confronting him about inviting friends over without letting her know. He told police he had an argument but couldn’t remember exactly what happened because he took six Xanax.
He does not have a prescription for Xanax, court documents say.
Davidson reportedly told police nobody shot at the man and then showed red marks on his body. He wouldn’t specify what happened in the altercation but said he was “the bad guy” and shrugged, court documents say.
Davidson also told police he would “beat the case” because the man is a “dumba**.”
Davidson was booked into the Johnson County jail on Sunday, where he remains as of press time.
