EASTPOINTE, Mich. – The family of an 18-year-old father who was killed by a pickup truck driver while riding his minibike in Eastpointe is demanding justice while awaiting a charging decision.
Ty Hale, 18, was shot and killed just before 8 p.m. Friday (Sept. 30) at the intersection of Stricker and David avenues in Eastpointe. Hale is the father of two children -- a baby boy and a girl.
A doorbell camera captured video of a 60-year-old man driving up to the intersection in a Dodge Ram pickup truck. Hale drove his minibike up to the passenger side of the Ram, video shows.
A shot was fired, and Hale was killed. Officers said they found him lying dead in the street when they arrived at the scene.
Police said this was a road rage incident that started nearby on 8 Mile Road.
Ann Arbor lawyer Bill Amadeo, who took the case for free, said Hale’s family is shocked by what transpired.
“An 18-year-old kid who is unarmed and gets killed -- they are out of their mind right now,” Amadeo said. “They are hoping the Macomb County prosecutor brings serious charges.”
The driver of the Ram is currently in custody and cooperating with police. He claims he shot Hale in self-defense.
Amadeo and Hale’s family want to know how the driver can claim self-defense when he was armed in a pickup truck and Hale was unarmed on a minibike.
“(The video) is a little grainy,” Amadeo said. “You can’t see everything. There’s always two sides to every story, but it looks like a horrible tragedy.”
Amadeo believes the driver would have to meet a high standard to back up the claim that he feared for his life.
“If somebody was beating you -- think of Trayvon Martin situation, and (George) Zimmerman,” Amadeo said. “Zimmerman’s argument was he felt he was going to die, so he could use excessive force. If we use the Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin scenario and compare it to Ty’s situation, we’re not in the same universe.
“I care that this kid died, and want I just to see the right thing done.”