LIVONIA – A man who police said shot at a snowplow driver in a fit of rage over a parking spot has been charged with nine felonies including attempted murder.
Anthony Deion-Gregory Fletcher, 54, of Redford, was arraigned Jan. 29 in 16th District Court in Livonia on charges including assault with intent to murder; assault to do great bodily harm less than murder; firearms weapon discharge from vehicle; carrying a concealed weapon; assault with a dangerous weapon; and four counts of felony firearm.
Livonia Police Captain Eric Marcotte said the charges stemmed from an incident that occurred at 6:17 p.m., Jan. 25 in the parking lot of the 7-11 convenience store at the corner of Seven Mile Road and Inkster. Marcotte said the snowplow driver was “just trying to do his job” and Fletcher wanted to “confront him over something so small as a parking spot, which led to a shot being fired.”
“It’s ridiculous,” Marcotte said. “People have to learn to handle differences in a different manner, you can’t resort to violence and gun fire and if you do things like that, we will hunt you down and catch you.”
John Freeman, Fletcher’s Bloomfield Hills-based attorney, said on Feb. 2 the charges are “merely accusations.”
“There has been no evidence introduced at this point,” Freeman said. “Just because someone said something happened doesn’t mean it actually did.”
Fletcher remains in the Wayne County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond. A probable cause conference has been set for 9 a.m. Feb. 5 in front of 16th Circuit Court Judge Sean Kavanagh.
Marcotte said the victim, a snowplow driver for a private company, was backed into a parking space at the 7-11 when Fletcher drove up in a black Chevy Blazer with a male passenger and was waiting for the plow driver to leave in order to take the space. When the plow driver didn’t leave, Marcotte said Fletcher parked elsewhere and went inside. The plow driver exited his vehicle and began shoveling the sidewalk at the business.When Fletcher exited the business, the two exchanged words and Marcotte said as Fletcher was driving away, he aimed a gun out the window of the Blazer and fired a round at the snowplow driver, who was still on foot. The snowplow driver was not struck and no injuries were reported.
Fletcher then fled westbound on Seven Mile Road, Marcotte said, and surveillance video confirmed the incident and assisted police in identifying Fletcher and a passenger, the latter of whom has not been charged. A spent shell casing was recovered from the scene. Police obtained search warrants, which were executed Jan. 27.
Freeman said his client looks forward to “vigorously defending” against the charges.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Man faces 9 felonies after police say he fired shot at snowplow driver in Livonia
Reporting by Susan Bromley, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
