An armed robber was shot in the chest while holding a CPL holder’s friend at gunpoint so he could steal a wallet outside a Detroit store, officials said.
The shooting happened at 9:53 p.m. Feb. 8, but the details of the incident were revealed March 10 in a criminal complaint.
CPL holder describes shooting
On Feb. 8, Shot-Spotter detected three gunshots in the parking lot of Carmen’s Delicatessen in Detroit. Police officers rushed to the scene and were flagged down by two people, they said.
One man approached officers with his hands over his head and told them he owns a concealed pistol license. He said he had fired a shot in self-defense while being robbed outside the store.
The man told police that he and his friend had gone to the store that night and noticed an old man and a young man talking outside. The younger man was wearing a blue Detroit Lions jacket and a ski mask. He was later identified as Joshua Fordham, the criminal complaint says.
When the CPL holder and his friend went inside, Fordham and the older man followed them, according to authorities. As they left the store and walked to their car, Fordham continued to follow, court records show.
Fordham began arguing with the two men and threatened to kill the CPL holder’s friend if the CPL holder didn’t give up everything he had, officials said.
The CPL holder handed Fordham his wallet, the complaint says.
While holding a black, semi-automatic handgun in one hand, Fordham patted down the CPL holder with the other, according to police. As he was being patted down, the CPL holder pulled out his gun and fired a shot, authorities said.
Fordham found injured
Detroit police said they found Fordham lying on the ground west of the store with a gunshot wound to his chest.
A loaded black handgun, later identified as a Ruger, P95DC, was on the ground nearby, according to officials. It appeared to have suffered a malfunction, they said.
An officer also found the CPL holder’s wallet among Fordham’s belongings.
Surveillance footage
Detroit police officers said they reviewed surveillance footage from the store on Feb. 9. It showed Fordham wearing a Detroit Lions jacket and black ski mask and following the two men from the store, according to authorities.
They appeared to argue, the video shows. During the argument, Fordham pulled a black handgun from his jacket pocket and pointed it at the CPL holder’s friend while shouting at the CPL holder, police said.
“(The CPL holder) then hands Fordham his wallet, and Fordham pats (the CPL holder) down while motioning the gun towards (the CPL holder’s) head,” the criminal complaint reads. “During the pat down, (the CPL holder) pulls a firearm from his right hip area and fires a shot at Fordham’s chest. In reaction, Fordham points his gun at (the CPL holder). The men then run in separate directions.”
Possession of firearm
Fordham’s criminal history reveals he pleaded guilty in March 2014 to armed robbery and a felony firearm violation in Wayne County’s Third Circuit Court. He was sentenced to 5-15 years in prison for the armed robbery charge and two years in prison for the felony firearm violation.
Since Fordham has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, he is not allowed to have a gun, authorities said.
The criminal complaint concludes there’s probable cause that Fordham unlawfully possessed a firearm.