FAWN RIVER TOWNSHIP, Mich.—Authorities say a 9-year-old is suspected in the fatal shooting of a woman in her southern Michigan home.
WWMT-TV reports that St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough said the woman was found early Monday morning in Fawn River Township, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) west-southwest of Detroit. The woman’s name hasn’t been released.
McDonough said the woman is not being identified at this time, and the person being investigated is a juvenile. He wouldn’t say if the juvenile and the victim were related.https://t.co/fceja5NG5b
— WWMT-TV (@wwmtnews) May 7, 2019
McDonough declined to say if the child and victim were related. The circumstances of the killing and details of why the child is considered a suspect have not been released.
Sheriff Bradley Balk says the youth was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation at a state-run juvenile facility.
The Associated Press left messages Wednesday seeking comment from the county prosecutor and sheriff.
Second Suspect in Colorado School Shooting Is a Juvenile Girl: Sheriff
The second suspect in the May 7 school shooting in Colorado is a girl, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said.
The “juvenile female” joined Devon Erickson, an 18-year-old male, in shooting up STEM School Highland Ranch, the sheriff said.
Her name has not been released.
“We originally thought that we had a juvenile male in custody, but through our interviews yesterday afternoon, we determined that we have a juvenile female in custody now,” Spurlock said, reported KOAA.
The sheriff’s office posted the press conference footage on its Facebook page but the sound didn’t work, prompting complaints from Facebook users. Another portion of the press conference was posted separately and the audio worked in that post.
Erickson was set to graduate and would have left the school in three days, Spurlock added. Deputies were able to apprehend both the male and the female without firing any shots.
The STEM campus is one block from the sheriff’s office, enabling deputies to arrive in about two minutes.
“I believe the quick response of officers helped save lives,” Spurlock said. “A quick response eliminates a lot of this issue right off the bat.”
18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler said that the suspects are presumed innocent and that the adult suspect, Erickson, will be getting a publicly-appointed lawyer. He wasn’t sure of the schedule for the girl.
The Associated Press and NTD News reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
