Accused Of Shooting At Police, Attorney For Ex-School Board Member Says Solomon Stinson Suffers From Dementia, Parkinson's

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The lawyer of Solomon Stinson, the former Miami-Dade School Board member accused of shooting at police officers in West Broward, announced on Tuesday that his client suffers from dementia and Parkinson's disease.

Stinson appeared in court where his lawyer revealed that his client had recently been diagnosed with the diseases and claimed he did not know what was going on during the incident.

Just days before this announcement, the Broward State Attorney's Office charged Stinson on three counts of first-degree attempted murder and four counts of shooting into a vehicle.

He was ordered to remain behind bars without bond.

Stinson, 81, made his first court appearance back in June on attempted murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. His attorney filed a not guilty plea.

He is accused of going on a shooting spree on Sunday, June 2, which started in Miramar where police say he threatened a stranger with his gun in The Monarch Lakes community.

Pembroke Pines police said Stinson then got into a fight over a parking space outside of a movie theater, shot at a man's car and followed a woman in her car and fired at her as well.

Stinson also allegedly got into a gun battle with officers before crashing on West Sheridan Street, where his vehicle caught fire.

He was eventually taken into custody.

According to police, Stinson was given a mental evaluation at a local hospital after the incident, before he was taken to Broward jail.

Stinson is a former longtime Miami-Dade School Board member who retired from the Miami-Dade County School Board in 2010, after 14 years.

Before he was elected, he served the district in various capacities, including as an elementary school teacher, principal and deputy superintendent. He earned multiple degrees and education certifications, including a doctorate in school administration from the University of Iowa.

Miami-Dade's Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution May 21 co-designating portions of roads in northeastern part of the county as "Dr. Solomon Stinson Street."

The resolution noted that Stinson "devoted 36 years of outstanding and dedicated service as an educator, role model, and mentor to help shape thousands of children's lives."