A 19-year-old man accused of shooting two people during the Detroit fireworks show in June is facing multiple assault and weapons charges.
Alphonso Cooper Jr., of Romulus, was charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, one count of carrying a concealed weapon and four counts of felony firearm, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
The shooting occurred around 10:04 p.m. on Monday, June 23, near Randolph and Larned streets — about a block from Spirit of Detroit Plaza and Hart Plaza, where thousands had gathered to watch the fireworks.
Cooper is accused of shooting and injuring a 17-year-old Van Buren Township boy he was allegedly fighting and a 22-year-old Ferndale woman, who happened to be nearby, before he fled the scene. Both victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The 17-year-old boy suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his legs, and the 22-year-old woman was shot in the right hand, according to police. Cooper was found and arrested two weeks after the shooting, on July 7.
Police Chief Todd Bettison previously said the shooting was not random and stemmed from a dispute between Cooper and the teen victim over “about $200 and some change.”
“These shootings allegedly occurred because the defendant could not handle a disagreement and introduced a deadly weapon into the mix,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. “This defendant did not care that there were hundreds of potential victims in the area. Bullets have no eyes, and it is extremely fortuitous that more fireworks attendees were not injured.”
Cooper was arraigned on Thursday, July 10, in 36th District Court and given a $500,000 cash bond, according to the prosecutor’s office. If released, he must remain on house arrest with a GPS tether.
Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 19-year-old charged in Detroit fireworks shooting that injured 2 people
Reporting by Nour Rahal, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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