Tuesday, October 10, 2023

PONTIAC, Mich. - On October 9, 2023, Oakland County Prosecutor KAREN D. McDONALD charged a 16-year-old Pontiac resident with Assault with Intent to Murder stemming from a September 20, 2023, shooting outside a grocery store in Pontiac. The same 16-year-old was allegedly involved in the shooting of Robert Wayne Lee aka Boopac Shakur on September 29, 2023, and that investigation remains ongoing.

The charges issued yesterday stem from a September 20, 2023 incident outside a grocery store near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Perry St. Store surveillance video shows a fight between two young men in the parking lit. The video then shows a third individual, alleged to be the 16-year-old, exit a vehicle and begin shooting at one of the combatants

The September 20, 2023, shooting was not immediately reported to law enforcement, and was only reported after the mother of the individual who was shot at reported suspicious activity near her home that she believed was related to the shooting and to potential gang activity. At this time, the motive for the September 20, 2023 shooting remains unknown.

The same 16-year-old is also alleged to have shot and killed Robert Wayne Lee, also known as Boopac Shakur, on September 29, 2023, at a restaurant located near the same intersection (Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Perry St). That incident was also captured on video, and the 18-year-old who was present when Mr. Lee was killed was also present at the September 20, 2023, shooting. The shooting of Mr. Lee and possible motives for his killing remain under investigation. It is too early to say whether there is any connection between the two shootings.

"Public safety is my top priority. These are very serious charges, and we continue to work with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office as part of their ongoing investigation," stated Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.

When bringing the AWIM charges yesterday, the prosecution "designated" the case, meaning that the 16-year-old will be tried as an adult but, if convicted, the judge will have the option to sentence him as a juvenile, as an adult, or he could receive a "blended sentence" that incorporates both juvenile rehabilitation and adult punishment.

Charges are accusations and individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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