(WWJ) Two 18-year-old men are facing potential life in prison on charges that they broke into a Waterford Township man's bedroom bedroom and shot him the day after last Christmas.
According to a news release by the Waterford Police Department, the shooting happened on Friday, December 26, 2025, at the River’s Edge Apartment complex.
According to Waterford Police, officers arrived on the scene at around 5 p.m. the day of the shooting to find a 23-year-old resident on the building's front steps suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.
The victim told officers he had been shot by a friend of his roommate.
Paramedics treated the victim before he was taken to a local hospital.
Investigators identified the suspects as Ricardo Johnson and Carmelo Buckles.
According to police, the two young men worked together to force their way into the victim's bedroom.
During the encounter, the victim managed to return fire and hit Buckles in the hand, which left DNA evidence at the scene. Both suspects fled before police arrived.
Buckles was tracked down at a Detroit-area hospital later that night and taken into custody, while Johnson was located and interviewed by detectives.
Both suspects were initially released while police awaited forensic testing results and continued their investigation.
On April 7, 2026, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office officially charged both Johnson and Buckles with assault with intent to murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. They were also charged with a felony firearm offense, which carries a mandatory consecutive two-year prison sentence.
Officers finally found and arrested Buckles on June 4, with help from Detroit Police. He was arraigned the same day in 51st District Court and was ordered held on a $5 million.
Johnson was tracked down and arrested on July 8 by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team. He was also arraigned and ordered held on a $5 million.
Both Johnson and Buckles remain jailed and are scheduled to return to the 51st District Court for a probable cause conference on July 21.
