MEMPHIS, Tennessee — A man accused of threatening to shoot concert-goers at Yo Gotti's "Birthday Bash" last month was in court Monday, where both sides agreed to drop all but one of his 30 charges of attempted murder.
28-year-old Elijah Hyman, who is being held without bond in the Shelby County Jail, also saw 30 counts of possession of a weapon in commission of a dangerous felony and making terroristic threats dropped after the prosecution and defense came to an agreement in court.
Hyman is still awaiting a court-ordered mental evaluation, and will face a grand jury on the one count of attempted murder.
Police said officers responded to report of an armed mental consumer about 3 a.m. Saturday, July 16, 2022, in the 200 block of South Main Street in downtown Memphis. According to police, Hyman appeared distraught due to a breakup between him and his girlfriend, who met officers at the scene. According to an affidavit, it was Hyman who contacted police seeking help.
Officers were advised that since Hyman and his girlfriend's relationship was coming to an end, he wanted to kill himself and everyone he saw coming from an event being held at the FedEx Forum, according to MPD. According to the affidavit, Hyman said that he had thoughts of hurting others at a concert.
Yo Gotti's "Birthday Bash" was celebrating it's return as an annual event for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
No shots were fired, but police said Hyman was bleeding from his right hand after being cut from a glass window inside of his apartment. A police unit made the scene to treat Hyman's right hand and while in the apartment, officers noticed several weapons "laying out in plain view," according to the affidavit.
A search warrant was obtained, according to MPD, and several large caliber weapons were confiscated. Some of these weapons had been "altered or modified from the original form and function," according to the affidavit.
Investigators also took note that Hyman's apartment had been set up "in a way to make it easy to carry out his threat of mass shooting," according to the affidavit.
Hyman had placed binoculars in a window he had broken, which "gave him an unobstructed direct line of sight to the FedEx Forum, surrounding parking lots, and pedestrian walkways," according to the affidavit. The affidavit does not indicate whether this was the same window that Hyman cut himself on.
Hyman was detained, placed in cuffs and taken for medical treatment and evaluation, according to MPD.
MPD also said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was contacted.
Yo Gotti took to Twitter on Saturday night to thank his fans and event staff for "smooth, secure and successful event."