Image courtesy of Sheriff Department
On August 21, 2013 a drive by shooting occurred in Ypsilanti that resulted in a 5 hour manhunt for the suspects. Some details have previously been published by the Ann Arbor News [1]. Two of the perpetrators made plea deals and one young teenage passenger in the car has never been charged [2]. The case has caused some controversy because one of the perpetrators was being mentored by Derrick Jackson, Director of Community Engagement for the Sheriff’s department, who wrote a letter to Judge Swartz asking for leniency for Marquell Ganter [3].
Testimony began today in Washtenaw County Circuit Court before Judge David Swartz for the only remaining defendant, Garland Johnson. The homeowner, Karl Hubbard, his wife, daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend all testified to the same basic facts.
Testimony began today in Washtenaw County Circuit Court before Judge David Swartz for the only remaining defendant, Garland Johnson. The homeowner, Karl Hubbard, his wife, daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend all testified to the same basic facts.
· Karl Hubbard woke up about 5:30 AM and went to the store, briefly. He returned at about 5:50 AM and heard noise in his back yard as someone was climbing the privacy fence in his back yard and breaking some boards in the process.
· He found Garland Johnson in his back yard and another young man on top of his fence. The man on the top of the fence retreated and Johnson ran toward the front yard, losing a red baseball cap in the process. (Johnson later confessed that they were after a dirt bike that was in the shed)
· He found Garland Johnson in his back yard and another young man on top of his fence. The man on the top of the fence retreated and Johnson ran toward the front yard, losing a red baseball cap in the process. (Johnson later confessed that they were after a dirt bike that was in the shed)
· Johnson ran north on Greenlawn Ave. and crossed Ecorse Rd. and one block over to Woodlawn Ave. where he got into a silver Impala with three other young black men.
· Hubbard got back into his car and chased after Johnson. He drove up next to the car that Johnson had gotten into and began to tell the occupants that they had better not ever come back to his yard.
· Johnson was in the back seat on the driver’s side and began to tell Marquell Ganter, who was in the front passenger seat to “give me the gun”. Hubbard thought his life was being threatened and quickly drove off and returned home.
· He parked in his driveway behind the daughter’s boyfriend’s car. The boyfriend was just coming down the driveway from the back yard to see what was going on. Hubbard’s wife and daughter were just coming out of the back yard.
· Hubbard got back into his car and chased after Johnson. He drove up next to the car that Johnson had gotten into and began to tell the occupants that they had better not ever come back to his yard.
· Johnson was in the back seat on the driver’s side and began to tell Marquell Ganter, who was in the front passenger seat to “give me the gun”. Hubbard thought his life was being threatened and quickly drove off and returned home.
· He parked in his driveway behind the daughter’s boyfriend’s car. The boyfriend was just coming down the driveway from the back yard to see what was going on. Hubbard’s wife and daughter were just coming out of the back yard.
· Hubbard and the boyfriend saw the silver impala turn down Greenlawn from Ecorse and drive up to the end of their driveway.
· The back driver’s side window was down and Johnson put a 40 cal. semi-automatic handgun through the window and began shooting.
· Hubbard and the boyfriend dove for the ground.
· Five shots were fired in a matter of seconds. The first three were fired with the car stopped at the end of the driveway and two more as the car began to speed away.
· Just a few doors down the car crashed into a parked car. The occupants all got out and began to run. Ganter returned to retrieve his gun and one of the other occupants removed the car’s license plate.
· The back driver’s side window was down and Johnson put a 40 cal. semi-automatic handgun through the window and began shooting.
· Hubbard and the boyfriend dove for the ground.
· Five shots were fired in a matter of seconds. The first three were fired with the car stopped at the end of the driveway and two more as the car began to speed away.
· Just a few doors down the car crashed into a parked car. The occupants all got out and began to run. Ganter returned to retrieve his gun and one of the other occupants removed the car’s license plate.
Sheriff’s Department officers testified about the manhunt for the suspects and the evidence found at the scene.
· Many calls were received by the 911 operators about shots fired. Three Sheriff’s cars responded to the scene.
· The car driven by Deputy Heather Morrison with Deputy Ray Yee went down Ecorse to the I-94 bypass, making a U-turn on I-94 and coming back up the I-94 bypass toward the Willow Run neighborhood. They encountered Marquell Ganter, Davon Davis and Garland Johnson running on the shoulder. A police car video was shown in court showing the fleeing suspects.
· Deputy Yee ordered the suspects to stop but they continued down the shoulder until they could jump the fence into a wooded area.
· Deputies Morrison and Yee sped around to cut them off on the city streets. Deputy Yee pursed two of the suspects on foot until he heard a gunshot.
· A manhunt ensued with many deputies and two canine units. Garland Johnson was found in a back yard between two fences. He was handcuffed and transported to the Sheriff’s Department.
· In his initial interview, Johnson claimed to be drunk and sleeping in the passenger side of the back seat. He even claimed that he did not hear the gunshots.
· Eventually he confessed to being on the driver’s side and having shot one or two times (five bullet casings and four bullets were found at the scene), however, he claimed that he was not shooting at the individuals but into the air.
· Bullet holes were found in the bedroom window of Hubbard’s daughter, in the rear bumper of the car, in the rear window of the car on the right side and in the right rear wheel. An additional hole was found in the ground with dirt thrown up on the roof and hood of the car. It is suspected that the hole in the ground was made by a bullet but a fifth bullet was not found, although 5 casings were found.
· The gun was found under the wheel of a red truck in the Willow Run neighborhood where the foot chase occurred. Marquell Ganter testified that he threw the gun away and it went off accidentally when it hit the ground.
The prosecutor said that he has two more witnesses to present and then the defense will present their case tomorrow.
[1] http://www.annarbor.com/news/ypsilanti/3-teens-charged-with-attempted-murder-for-shooting-at-2-men-in-ypsilanti-township-wednesday/
[2] http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2013/10/2_of_3_teens_charged_with_shoo.html
[3] http://www.washtenawwatchdogs.com/sheriffrsquos-official-writes-a-letter-to-judge-swartz-asking-leniency-for-man-involved-in-drive-by-shooting-and-who-took-a-shot-at-sheriffrsquos-deputies.html
· Many calls were received by the 911 operators about shots fired. Three Sheriff’s cars responded to the scene.
· The car driven by Deputy Heather Morrison with Deputy Ray Yee went down Ecorse to the I-94 bypass, making a U-turn on I-94 and coming back up the I-94 bypass toward the Willow Run neighborhood. They encountered Marquell Ganter, Davon Davis and Garland Johnson running on the shoulder. A police car video was shown in court showing the fleeing suspects.
· Deputy Yee ordered the suspects to stop but they continued down the shoulder until they could jump the fence into a wooded area.
· Deputies Morrison and Yee sped around to cut them off on the city streets. Deputy Yee pursed two of the suspects on foot until he heard a gunshot.
· A manhunt ensued with many deputies and two canine units. Garland Johnson was found in a back yard between two fences. He was handcuffed and transported to the Sheriff’s Department.
· In his initial interview, Johnson claimed to be drunk and sleeping in the passenger side of the back seat. He even claimed that he did not hear the gunshots.
· Eventually he confessed to being on the driver’s side and having shot one or two times (five bullet casings and four bullets were found at the scene), however, he claimed that he was not shooting at the individuals but into the air.
· Bullet holes were found in the bedroom window of Hubbard’s daughter, in the rear bumper of the car, in the rear window of the car on the right side and in the right rear wheel. An additional hole was found in the ground with dirt thrown up on the roof and hood of the car. It is suspected that the hole in the ground was made by a bullet but a fifth bullet was not found, although 5 casings were found.
· The gun was found under the wheel of a red truck in the Willow Run neighborhood where the foot chase occurred. Marquell Ganter testified that he threw the gun away and it went off accidentally when it hit the ground.
The prosecutor said that he has two more witnesses to present and then the defense will present their case tomorrow.
[1] http://www.annarbor.com/news/ypsilanti/3-teens-charged-with-attempted-murder-for-shooting-at-2-men-in-ypsilanti-township-wednesday/
[2] http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2013/10/2_of_3_teens_charged_with_shoo.html
[3] http://www.washtenawwatchdogs.com/sheriffrsquos-official-writes-a-letter-to-judge-swartz-asking-leniency-for-man-involved-in-drive-by-shooting-and-who-took-a-shot-at-sheriffrsquos-deputies.html
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