MOUNT CLEMENS (WWJ) -- A teenager will stand trial as an adult on charges connected to a shooting during a tree-lighting ceremony at a Macomb County mall.
Macomb County prosecutors charged King Payne, 17, of Eastpointe with Assault with Intent to Murder and felony weapons charges related to the shooting at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township on November 23, 2025.
Payne shot the 17-year-old victim four times in the torso, according to prosecutors.
According to WDIV-Channel 4, the victim survived after multiple surgeries.
Prosecutors also initially charged two other teens in connection to the crime: 17-year-old Christian Griffin of Clinton Township with Assault with Intent to Murder; and 18-year-old Terrence Brown of Detroit with Accessory After the Fact (a five-year felony).
Brown waived his preliminary exam.
Brown allegedly drove his vehicle to the mall, picked up Payne and gave him a ride home even though he knew about the shooting, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors ultimately dismissed the Assault with Intent to Murder charge against Griffin.
"When acts of violence threaten the safety of our neighborhoods and public gatherings, we will seek to hold those responsible," Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido said.
If convicted on Assault with Intent to Murder, Payne faces the possibility of life behind bars.
The victim was only 17 years old at the time.
The victim was only 17 years old at the time.
