A Detroit man accused of shooting at a Royal Oak Township church last week has been charged, officials said.
Michael Tyrone Bowers III, 23, was arraigned Saturday in 45th District Court in Oak Park, court records said.
He is charged with discharging a firearm from a vehicle, discharging a firearm in or at a building, and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
A judge set Bowers’ bond at $150,000 and scheduled his next court hearing for next Tuesday, court records said. The judge also banned the defendant from consuming illegal drugs, alcohol, marijuana, and possessing any firearm or weapon as bond conditions. Bowers is also banned from having any contact with God’s Grace Missionary Baptist Church, according to court records.
If convicted, Bowers faces up to 10 years in prison for discharging a firearm from a vehicle, up to 10 years for discharging a firearm in or at a building, and up to two years for each count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
“Houses of worship are too often the targets of shootings,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. “Churches, synagogues, and mosques should be safe spaces for their congregations. While this church was unoccupied at the time of this incident, the loss of security felt by parishioners when their sanctuary is attacked is all too real.”
Court records did not list an attorney for Bowers on Tuesday.
Authorities allege the defendant shot at God’s Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Royal Oak Township last Thursday.
Michigan State Police troopers were called to the church for a report of shots fired. They arrived and found bullet holes in the church entryway, as well as a shell casing nearby.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video and found the vehicle used in the shooting, which allegedly belongs to Bowers, they said.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit man accused of shooting at church in Royal Oak Township charged
Reporting by Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
