Judge denies bond reduction for man accused in fatal shooting of 28-year-old in Downtown Dallas
The man charged with murder in a fatal Downtown Dallas shooting was in court Wednesday trying to have his bond reduced. Dozens of family members represented both the victim and the suspect.
Kendrick Finch, 34, is accused of shooting and killing 28-year-old Ashlee Long on April 5.
"The evidence presented by both the state and the defense, the writ is denied, the bond remains at $500,000," said Judge Jennifer Balido.
Video captures shooting in Downtown Dallas
According to an arrest affidavit, Finch told investigators he shot Ashlee Long after a man she was with brushed "his hand along the passenger side of a passing Mercedes as they were walking across the street."
Surveillance video played in court shows Finch getting out of the car with a gun as the man with Ashlee Long pulls out his gun from her purse—that's when shots were fired. Finch's attorney, Josh Healy, said Finch acted in self-defense.
"And with regards to that video, it was clear to us who started it, and it was clear to us who was approaching his vehicle, and at that point, we believe the law allows him to defend himself," said Healy. "And so, you'll hear a lot more about that in trial."
Family mourns 28-year-old killed for being at the "wrong place, wrong time" in Dallas
Ashlee Long's family declined to speak Wednesday, but shared their story in late April.
Her family said Ashlee Long was a successful real estate agent from the Houston area and was in Dallas on April 5 for a networking trip. The man with Ashlee Long survived; however, she died in the hospital from multiple gunshot wounds.
"I feel dead inside. She was my everything," her mother, Michelle Long, told CBS News Texas. "A night out on the town and just being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Finch's trial is expected to begin in early 2026.
