(WWJ) A Detroit man is facing more than a dozen felony charges, accused of shooting half-a-dozen people outside a banquet hall on the city's east side.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Friday that she has charged 30-year-old Samuel Spencer Tipton in connection with the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Lorenzo Gains, and the non-fatal shooting of a 26-year-old woman, 34-year-old woman, 43-year-old woman, 43-year-old man, and 46-year-old man.
It happened early Tuesday morning in the parking lot of the Chalmers Banquet Hall, which police said did not have a current license to operate, in the 9850 block of Chalmers Street.
Officers called to the scene on reports of gunfire found Gains dead, with a gunshot wound to the chest. The surviving victims, all of them Detroit residents, were taken to a local hospital for treatment of their wounds.
According to prosecutors, it is alleged that Tipton fired a handgun fatally striking Gains and wounding the six others. Detectives marked at least 20 bullet casings at the scene.
The shooter fled the scene, but Tipton was later arrested with help from tipsters who provided information to Detroit Police.
Although police have said this was not random but a "targeted" shooting, they have not shared any details about a possible motive. On Friday, Worthy's office said further information will not be released at this time "because aspects of the case remain under investigation."
Tipton has been charged with the following: one count of first-degree murder, five counts of assault with intent to murder, one count of felon in possession of a firearm, and seven counts of felony firearm.
"This case is representative of the escalating violence that is pummeling our region and America's most populous cities. It is way too easy to try and settle any perceived issues with firearms," said Worthy, in a statement. "It is no longer true to say that children are the ones that cannot control their tempers, emotions, and disputes. Adults have zoomed to the top of that list."
Michigan Department of Corrections records show Tipton's criminal history includes convictions on charges of possession of burglary tools, operating a chop shop and fleeing police.
He remains jailed awaiting an arraignment scheduled for Saturday in 36th District Court.
Following the shooting, police ordered Chalmers Banquet Hall to close. According to police, the facility has been operating without a license since 2013.
