‘I am my own attorney,’ Man accused of shooting at woman from his porch faces judge

SPRINGFIELD — A man facing decades of time in prison after police said he fired about a half dozen shots at a woman walking down the street told a judge he’s going to be his own attorney.

“I am my own attorney on the record,” said Charles Porter, the man arrested after the shooting. “Things did occur on my property with my legally purchased firearm, legally purchased ammunition, legally purchased magazine.”

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Porter is charged with attempted murder, felonious assault, a gun charge and obstructing official business. He could face more than 20 years in prison if he’s convicted, Judge Stephen A. Schumaker said.

“On these types of charges, it’s often advisable to have an attorney,” Schumaker told Porter. “I’m willing to listen to whatever you have to say.”

Officers responded to Porter’s house in the 700 block of Charles around 8:45 a.m. Monday. after receiving 911 calls reporting a man shooting a gun at a woman walking down the street.

“I need to report this guy just shot at me six times,” the woman said. “I was just walking down the (expletive) street.”

The woman said she saw the gunfire hit the pavement and ricochet off her feet, but she was not injured.

“He told me to freeze,” the woman said.

Porter said he had asked the woman if she was with the Springfield City Police Department in anyway.

Porter said the charges against him are “utterly false.”

“We’ve got families out here. There are kids are playing in their yards,” a Springfield police Sergeant told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell. “You can’t shoot at people that are walking down the street for no reason.”

Neighbors said they heard the gunfire and it woke them out of bed.

“We jumped up, looked out the back door, and gunshots are still going,” said Jessie Wellman. “At first I saw a whole bunch of cops.”

Wellman said Porter had grown tired of people passing through his yard, putting up no trespassing signs on his property.

“He just got tired of it. He broke down,” Wellman said.

Porter had not guilty pleas entered in his case.

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