A 16-year-old Inkster youth has been adult-designated and charged in the non-fatal wounding of a 13-year-old boy in a drive-by shooting during which the accused allegedly sprayed gunfire at five other youths.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said that the teen has not been charged as an adult, but if convicted, the judge has the option to sentence him as an adult or a juvenile, or even order a blended sentence if it is determined that the teen has not been rehabilitated.
The charges stem from an incident reported to Inkster police at about 9:23 p.m. June 18. The young victim was reportedly in the front yard of a home in the 250 block of Brentwood, standing next to a parked SUV.
The vehicle was occupied by three males ages 13, 16, and 17, of Inkster, and another 15-year-old male, of Westland. It is alleged that a subcompact SUV occupied by the 16-year-old defendant drove west on Mt. Vernon passing through the intersection with Brentwood, when gunshots were heard and observed by the victims and witnesses, according to police reports.Prosecutors allege that the 16-year-old respondent fired a handgun that shot the 13-year-old, causing a non-fatal wound to the chest, and fired at the four other victims in the car before driving from the scene. Additional bullets struck the SUV parked on Brentwood but did not hit any of the other four teens.
The 16-year-old has been charged with five counts of assault with intent to murder, one count of discharging a firearm at a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon, and five counts of felony firearm.
Because of the ages of those involved, no names have been released by police or the office of the prosecutor.
