Dearborn — Two of three suspects arrested in connection with a double fatal shooting Friday at Fairlane Town Center acted in self-defense, prosecutors said, resulting in only a weapons charge for one and no charges for the other.
Three people were shot, two fatally, at 1:25 p.m. Friday, July 3, inside the shopping center on Michigan Avenue. Cameron Watkins and Keonte Seaborn, both 19 and of Detroit, were killed.
Martinez Long, 19, was arraigned Tuesday in Dearborn’s 19th District Court on one count of carrying a concealed weapon in connection to the shooting.
Prosecutors determined that Watkins and Seaborn produced weapons in the initial altercation, according to a press release.
Watkins shot Seaborn with the weapon he took from the purse of another person linked to the shooting, Cania Cain, and then continued to “shoot recklessly in the public mall,” officials said. Long then allegedly shot Watkins.
Watkins shot another person during the incident, authorities said. Police requested charges against that person, but it was denied by prosecutors because they “acted in lawful defense of others” and had no weapon, said Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller.
Long’s actions were made in self-defense, prosecutors determined.
Bond for Long was set at $75,000, higher than sought by attorney Stephanie Carson. Carson said she did not have all the information on the case and could not say if the bond was fair, but she understands the high amount, given the circumstances.
Cain, who is not accused of firing a shot during the incident, was arraigned from a local hospital Tuesday morning because she went into labor. Her bond also was set at $75,000.
‘Complete disregard for human life’
Dearborn police Detective Benjamin Harless said the shooting was “most likely a gang-related incident.”
“Although the client doesn’t have a criminal history, based on what I have seen so far, there’s a high possibility of retribution down the road,” Harless said, noting his actions were in “complete disregard for human life.”
Police said the shooting appears to have involved people who knew one another and was an isolated incident that did not pose an ongoing threat to the public. But the chaos sent shoppers running for the exits, and one person was struck by a vehicle during the scramble to flee, Police Chief Issa Shahin said Friday.
“Senseless gun violence continues to plague communities across the country,” Shahin said in a statement Tuesday. “We are saddened by this entirely preventable tragedy but have to reiterate: We will expend all resources to keep our city safe and hold individuals responsible for dangerous behavior.”
The shooting was the latest violent incident tied to the shopping center, following two nonfatal shootings outside the mall in May 2024 and December 2020. A man also was charged in connection with a robbery and shooting at the mall in 2015.
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by yesterday’s tragic act of violence at Fairlane Town Center,” the mall said in a statement Saturday.
kberg@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: 2 charged in connection with Fairlane mall shooting acted in self-defense: prosecutors
Reporting by Kara Berg, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kara Berg, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
