Vowing to avenge last October’s shootings of two black grandparents at a Kroger store by a white suspect, Christopher Henry Duncan threatened in March to kill his next-door neighbors in Jeffersontown, who are white.

A few days later, on April 2, he acted on his threats, authorities say.

Duncan allegedly fired three shots into the home of Sara Skaggs and her son Joshua, who were not hit. Then he reportedly held Jeffersontown police at bay for several hours in an armed standoff.

Duncan, 64, was charged with wanton endangerment for creating a substantial risk of death or serious injury to Skaggs and her son. When he appeared in Jefferson District Court, Judge Amber Wolf marked him "dangerous" and set a $50,000 full cash bond.

But that changed when Judge Julie Kaelin, a former criminal defense attorney who was elected in November, heard Duncan's case.

Kaelin has made no secret of her support for bail reform and her opposition to high cash bonds that she says unfairly hurt the poor.

Hearing Duncan’s motion for a bond reduction June 17, Kaelin noted that he had no criminal history and appeared to be mentally ill.

"I don't want him sitting in jail getting no treatment whatsoever when he’s made it this far in life without a criminal record," the judge said. "I have to balance protecting the public and not putting him in jail just because he is sick."

Assistant County Attorney Casey Holland noted there was no evidence Duncan, a disabled former janitor, was mentally ill, and he pleaded with Kaelin to keep the high cash bond.

"We are dealing with a case where, but for bad aim, would be a murder charge," he said.

'Whites don't shoot whites':What one man says Kroger shooter told him

At a hearing four days later, Holland said: "What we have here is a man who felt persecuted by a race other than his own, stockpiled assault-style weapons, used racial slurs against his neighbor of another race, shot at his neighbors repeatedly and only narrowly missed, then engaged in a hourslong standoff with police."

Kaelin was not told specifically that Duncan's alleged act was retaliation for the Kroger shootings.

Shooting suspect sent to live with his brother

In an email, Kaelin said she couldn't comment on a pending case.

But ruling from the bench June 21, the judge noted that Duncan's only prior brush with the law was a traffic ticket and that the charges, which also included resisting arrest, were the lowest level felonies.

She also noted that jail mental health experts, whom she had asked to monitor him closely over four days, said they didn’t think he was currently a danger.

Kaelin allowed him to be released on a $10,000 surety bond posted by his brother, Arthur Duncan, meaning he’d have to pay that amount if Christopher didn’t return to court.

She placed him in home incarceration at Arthur Duncan's home on Berry Boulevard, about 16 miles from his own home — and the Skaggs' — on Watterson Trail. The judge also said Christopher Duncan could leave his brother's house to get treatment at the Veterans Louisville VA Medical Center.

'Please pray for me and my sons!'

In an interview, Sara Skaggs said she understands Kaelin’s concerns about high bonds and realizes they cause jail overcrowding. But Skaggs said she is worried Duncan could still harm her family.

"Why does she think he will obey the law now when he didn't in the first place," she asked in an email to the Courier Journal. "Please pray for me and my sons! I’m scared!"

Read this:Kroger shooting suspect could regain competency to stand trial, judge rules

Skaggs said that on March 27, Duncan had approached her and her son Joshua and said he hated them and was "going to get them" as "Greg Bush" had done at Kroger.

Gregory A. Bush, 51, who is white, is charged with two counts of murder for allegedly shooting and killing Maurice Stallard, 69, and Vickie Lee Jones, 67, at the Kroger off Taylorsville Road in Jeffersontown last October.

He was found incompetent to stand trial and is being evaluated at the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center in La Grange.

A federal grand jury also indicted Bush on hate crimes charges, for killing people based on their race or color.

Christopher Duncan’s release was short-lived.

On Monday, a county grand jury indicted him on charges of attempted murder and criminal mischief and asked for a warrant for his arrest — with his bond reset at $50,000 full cash.

Circuit Judge Annie O’Connell issued the warrant and Duncan is back in custody, according to Metro Corrections. His arraignment is set for Monday.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jeff Cooke said the grand jury presentation was moved up because the office felt the bond set by Kaelin was not "commensurate with the gravity" of the charges.

After Kaelin released several defendants charged with domestic violence earlier this year, a Louisville police spokeswoman in March complained the decisions were “not in the interest of public safety.”

The Jeffersontown Police Department declined to comment on Kaelin’s decision to release Duncan.

But in court, Detective Christopher Moore said that even though Duncan’s firearms were confiscated when he was arrested, he could easily buy more.

“He may never do this again,” Moore said. “But what if he goes back and this family is killed or shot or harmed? Then I’ve got to live with that.”

“So do I,” Kaelin said.

Andrew Wolfson: 502-582-7189; awolfson@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @adwolfson. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/andreww.

Editor's note: A previously published version of this story failed to note that Judge Julie Kaelin’s was not informed during hearings that Christopher Duncan allegedly told his neighbor Sara Skaggs that he fired into her home because he wanted to avenge last October’s shooting of two black people at a Kroger store. Kaelin said she didn’t know that information.