Former San Ysidro High School basketball star Mikey Williams, who was arrested last year in connection with allegations that he opened fire on a car occupied by a group of people outside his Jamul home, was sentenced Monday to one year of summary probation and his felony criminal threats conviction in the case was reduced to a misdemeanor.
Williams, 20, previously faced decades in prison if convicted of all charges stemming from the March 27, 2023, non-injury shooting.
Last fall, Williams pleaded guilty to the criminal threats count and his plea agreement included a misdemeanor reduction if he did not violate any laws and completed 80 hours of volunteer work, anger management, and gun safety courses.
That agreement was honored at Williams' sentencing hearing on Monday afternoon, during which Williams appeared in court virtually. Along with probation, Williams is prohibited from owning a firearm for the next 10 years.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Williams, also a social media star whose basketball talents landed him an endorsement deal with Puma at 17 years old, was originally committed to play at the University of Memphis, but he is currently attending the University of Central Florida, according to one of his defense attorneys, Randy M. Grossman.
Grossman said his client's future is "extremely bright. Unfortunately, he was not able to continue playing where he was supposed to in Memphis. Now he's going to be at Florida, where he's going to work extremely hard every day, on the court, shooting baskets. So I have very high expectations that he's going to have an incredible season this year."
Local
The defense attorney said Williams completed "well in excess" of the required 80 hours of community service ordered by the court and said his client "was volunteering his time to help kids long before this court case even came up. That's just in his DNA, who he is."
Grossman denied that Williams shot at anyone on March 27 and noted his client did not plead guilty to any charges involving discharging a firearm.
"Obviously, people showed up at his home uninvited at midnight. It was an unfortunate sequence of events. Mr. Williams stepped up. He admitted responsibility for the threats he made," Grossman said.
The plea deal
"As part of the plea, he must attend cognitive behavioral therapy, gun safety and anger management classes," Steve Walker, communications director with the DA's office, told NBC 7 last fall. "He must complete 80 hours of community service as well."
If Williams successfully completed all the conditions of the agreement and had no new violations, the charge was to be reduced to a misdemeanor, Walker told NBC 7.
As part of the plea deal, Williams was forbidden to possess a firearm, and, at his sentencing on Monday, a 10-year gun restriction will be placed on his record.
The star Memphis basketball recruit Mikey Williams faced multiple felony charges after the March 27, 2023, shooting. He had been free on a $50,000 bond since his arrest on April 13.
The shooting
An argument at Williams' $1.2 million home in unincorporated Jamul in eastern San Diego County just before midnight that night ended with gunshots being fired at a car that was leaving the house with five passengers inside, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. Bullets hit the car, but nobody inside was injured, authorities said.
Williams had faced decades in prison if he had been convicted of all the charges.
Testimony at Williams’ preliminary hearing indicated there were six people in the car, including an Uber driver, and that Williams had made threats. That testimony led the prosecution to add an additional count of assault with a weapon and two counts of making threats.
A juvenile witness testified she and a group of friends took an Uber to Williams' home so she could meet with JJ Taylor, who was living there and also has committed to play at Memphis. The girl said she went inside while the others waited in the car, but that Williams appeared angry and began to make threats.
Also at Williams’ preliminary hearing, Thompson-Taylor said that while no witnesses saw Williams fire a gun, there was probable cause to move the case forward based on testimony that witnesses saw him with a gun and heard him threaten to kill them. Modlin presented photos of bullet holes in a Tesla Model 3 that transported five people to Williams’ home.
College basketball career
Williams, whose college basketball career was delayed by gun charges, committed to the University of Central Florida in January 2024, just days after leaving the Memphis program. He had been enrolled in online classes at Memphis and was on the roster but didn't have access to team facilities or activities while his legal case played out in a suburban San Diego courtroom.
The former star from San Diego's San Ysidro High, who was one of the earliest stars of the name, image and likeness era, made the announcement via Instagram and one of his attorneys, Randy M. Grossman, confirmed the decision.
Williams was one of the name, image and likeness era’s earliest stars, securing a multiyear deal with shoe and athletic apparel maker Puma for an undisclosed amount in 2021. He had millions of followers across his social media platforms before apparently deactivating them. On3.com once estimated his NIL valuation at $3.6 million, but Williams’ name no longer appears in the rankings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report — Ed.
