DeKALB | A request to reduce the bond for Mark Orozco, one of the NIU students charged in the April 5 shooting of NIU linebacker Devon Butler, was denied at a hearing Thursday morning.

DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen said an attorney for Orozco requested bond to be reduced to $50,000. Bond was set at $1 million at an April 7 hearing.

The reduction would mean Orozco would only be required to post $5,000, 10 percent of the bond amount.

Phil Montgomery, DeKalb County assistant state’s attorney, said he objected to the request to reduce bond due to the seriousness of the charges and the strength of the prosecution’s case against Orozco.

During the hearing, Montgomery read several texts sent between Orozco and Richard Van Arsdale III, the other NIU student charged in the case. Montgomery said the texts, sent prior to the incident, indicated that the two men had planned the shooting.

Montgomery said one text message allegedly sent from Orozco to Van Arsdale read, “I should go shoot that place up.”

Van Arsdale replied to Orozco, “I’ll drive, bust their glass door open.”

A text message from Van Arsdale to Orozco allegedly read, “Let’s shoot that place up bro, real quick, good old drive by [expletive] probably sleeping anyway.”

Feithen declined to comment about the text messages.

Police said the shooting was a result of a bad drug deal, during which Orozco and Van Arsdale had made arrangements earlier in the day to sell a small amount of marijuana to two individuals, who stole the drugs and ran into the apartment building at 1009 Aspen Court.

One of the individuals was identified as an NIU student by DeKalb Police. The student has not been charged at this time, and Feithen said there was no new information regarding him at this time.

Brad Hoey, NIU media relations and internal communications team leader, said he was not aware of the student’s involvement at this time.

Orozco and Van Arsdale allegedly returned to the apartment building later in the evening and fired four shots from a 9mm handgun into the building. One of the bullets hit Butler in the upper right side of his back.

Butler remained in fair condition as of 3 p.m. Thursday, according to officials at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford.

Former NIU students Orozco and Van Arsdale have been charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm and the unlawful delivery of cannabis.

Hoey said upon last week’s charges, the university issued a temporary sanction essentially expelling them from the university and banning them from campus.

Bond was set at $1 million for each at a hearing last week. Orozco and Van Arsdale are still in custody at DeKalb County Jail.