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Man Accused Of Shooting Up San Jose Elementary School Arraigned

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A 21-year-old San Jose man was arraigned Friday on charges that he shot at video cameras at Booksin Elementary School early Tuesday morning.

Nicholas O'Connor did not enter a plea on the charges of negligent discharge of a gun, vandalism and brandishing a gun at another person who was confronting him at the school.

O'Connor was remanded to the county jail and his bail was set at $50,000. His next court date is Dec. 8 when a decision will be made on whether he'll be released on his own recognizance.

Santa Clara County prosecutors tried to contest the suggestion by officials with pre-trial services' on the amount of bail and the suggestion that he be released on his own recognizance.

Katrina Ohde, the supervising deputy district attorney, asked Judge Jose Franco for O'Connor's bail to be set at $500,000 due to the severity of the offense, something she told the court that pre-trial services wasn't taking into consideration.

"I think the case is still being charged very conservatively at this point," Ohde said.

Ohde told the court that O'Connor allegedly kept firing shots at the school's buildings even as a witness tried to tell O'Connor to stop.

She also said an investigation is ongoing to determine whether O'Connor is connected to similar offenses at other schools in San Jose where surveillance cameras have been shot at.

Ohde said O'Connor shouldn't be released on his own recognizance because he's still a danger to the public.

It's Ohde's belief that the court will release O'Connor on his own recognizance at next week's hearing.

Police said officers arrested O'Connor at his home Tuesday on suspicion of possessing a gun in a school zone, discharging a gun in a school zone, discharging a gun at an uninhabited building and vandalism.

Police said O'Connor allegedly fired shots at the school located at 1590 Dry Creek Road at 3:49 a.m. Tuesday. Officers arrived at the school, set up a perimeter and searched the area but didn't find a shooter.

TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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