The state has asked to dismiss its case against a 19-year-old Lincoln man originally accused of shooting a teenager in the hand when he tried to steal marijuana from him last fall.
Tilian John Tilian had been charged with second-degree assault until Wednesday, when Lancaster County Judge Jim Foster dismissed the felony on a motion of the county attorney's office.
It was unclear whether the victim was cooperating with prosecutors, given that he could implicate himself.
When Tilian was arrested, police said he had shot 19-year-old Keith Fitzwater in the hand after Tilian allegedly tried to steal 25 grams of weed from him near 11th and A streets on Sept. 10, and Fitzwater started chasing him.
Fitzwater now faces a charge of felony drug possession.