A Cambria County man is maintaining that he acted in self-defense when police say he allegedly gunned down another man outside a Cresson Borough bar this past summer.
Douglas Leap was back in court on Tuesday for his preliminary hearing after the case was brought back down from Commonwealth Court.
Authorities say Leap is facing criminal homicide charges in the shooting death of Ambrose Bowers back in June.
Leap originally waived his preliminary in August as his attorney looked to build his self-defense case, but a judge ordered the case back to the magistrate level.
Multiple witnesses including two state troopers provided a total of three and a half hours of testimony in during the preliminary hearing.
Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees testified that Bowers suffered a total of seven gunshot wounds four of those in his back, one in his side and two in the front of his body.
Bowers’ girlfriend who was also the bartender on the night of the shooting testified that Leap had been drinking at the bar for hours when she shut him off due to him being intoxicated.
She also said that Bowers and another man were in the bar when Leap got up to leave and made remarks to the other man and threatened to take the interaction outside.
She testified that Bowers instead followed Leap out of the bar and stated that she witnessed Leap walking up the road while brandishing a gun and later found out about the shooting.
Leap’s lawyer, Thomas Dickey, argued that brass knuckles were found near Bowers’ body at the scene, as he looks to make the case of self defense.
Ultimately, all charges in the case were bound for trial.
Those charges include criminal homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.
Leap remains behind bars and his formal arraignment is scheduled for December 24th.