DETROIT – A 16-year-old boy has been charged for shooting two innocent bystanders on the Detroit Riverwalk.
The shooting happened around 12:30 a.m. April 16 in the area of Rivard and Atwater streets.
Officials said a 16-year-old Detroit boy fired several shots at a man who was riding in a car. The shots missed and struck two men, according to authorities. Both were taken to a nearby hospital, where they are expected to fully recover.
“The Detroit Riverwalk is one of Detroit’s true jewels that has been voted the best in the United States,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said. “While every single shooting is tragic, this riverwalk case is particularly disturbing.”
Detroit police identified the 16-year-old as the suspected shooter on April 25. He was arraigned Monday on two counts of assault with intent to murder and two felony firearm violations, and then remanded to the Juvenile Detention Facility.
“It is an understatement to say these allegations show that the defendant had no regard for the people who wanted to simply enjoy the sights along the river on the evening of this offense,” Worthy said.
The teenager is not being tried as an adult, but he has been adult designated, which means, if convicted, he can be sentenced as a juvenile or as an adult, or receive a blended juvenile-adult sentence.
His next court date is scheduled for 9 a.m. May 9 in the Lincoln Hall of Justice.