Aldon Smith was charged with three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon Wednesday.
These charges stemmed from an incident at a party the San Francisco 49ers linebacker held at his home in June 2012. During the event, a Northern California man said he was shot when Smith and now-Titans tight end Delanie Walker, reportedly fired gunshots in the air while trying to end the party.
The Santa Clara County district attorney, who announced the charges, said the NFL player is expected to be in court later this month.
“We’ve been aware of the incident, the serious nature of it. We’re all accountable for our actions, good and bad,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday. “There’s a process, due process, that will take place. I don’t feel any need to comment further on it.”
According the district attorney’s office, Smith could face up to four years in prison in convicted.
“The preamble to the assault weapons law states that each assault weapon ‘has such a high rate of fire and capacity for firepower that its function as a legitimate sports or recreational firearm is substantially outweighed by the danger that it can be used to kill and injure human beings,'” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “California’s prohibition of these powerful weapons is not about hunting or target practice. It is about interrupting the long history of death, carnage and grief assault weapons have inflicted on California communities.”
