Hearing For Deep Ellum Attacker Austin Shuffield Reset To July 8
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — A hearing that was supposed to happen Thursday morning has been reset for 30-year-old Austin Shuffield, the man accused of assaulting a woman in Deep Ellum in March. It is now expected to occur on July 8.
Lawyers for Shuffield said the incident was not that of a hate crime and insisted that the former bartender did not make a racial slur toward 24-year-old L'Daijohnique Lee.
However, Lee and her attorneys say otherwise.
Lee said she had pulled into a parking lot and blocked Shuffield in as he was trying to leave. He got out of his truck to asked her to move but after his approach, the two began arguing.
In a cell phone video, captured by a witness across the street, Shuffield was seen holding a gun by his side during part of the argument. At some point Shuffield knocked Lee's cell phone out of her hand and she reacted by hitting him. Shuffield responded by punching Lee in the jaw and then hit her four more times in the face and head.
Lee's attorney, Lee Merritt said she also told him Shuffield called her "racial slurs" and made other "racist remarks" during the beating.
Shuffield faces several charges, including assault with a deadly weapon.
The District Attorney's office has handed the case over to a grand jury for review.
