Man shot with shotgun in downtown Ann Arbor remains in serious condition
A man shot in the leg with a shotgun Wednesday during a drug deal in a downtown Ann Arbor parking lot, remains in serious condition this morning at University of Michigan Hospital, police said.
Meanwhile, two Ann Arbor men, ages 23 and 21, are expected to be arraigned this afternoon at the Washtenaw County Jail on criminal charges in the case, Ann Arbor police Det. Sgt. Brian Jatczak said.
Their names have not been released. About 10:50 p.m. Wednesday, the 42-year-old victim, who lives in Ypsilanti, met with the men to sell them marijuana, police said.
That's when the men attempted to rob the victim and one of them fired two shots from a shotgun about 10 feet away, Jatczak said. One shot hit the victim.
The victim was taken by ambulance to University of Michigan Hospital, and the men were arrested shortly after the shooting.
The victim may have to undergo further surgeries, police said.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
Blue
Sun, Jul 3, 2011 : 11:02 p.m.
I don't know what happened in that parking lot, but I do know the 'drug dealer' or 'thug' as some of you are quick to call him, works full time + at a blue collar job, pays taxes, contributes to the community, etc. Maybe we should wait for more details before judging the victim of the shooting so harshly.
Doug
Sun, Jul 3, 2011 : 6:01 a.m.
Psaume23 wants "a neighborhood watch group or something akin to the 'guardian angels' in NY" Neighborhood-watch or citizens-patrol groups armed only with cell phones? OK. Gun-toting, Bernie Goetz-like dudes or beret-wearing, guardian-angel types? Definitely not.
LandPirate
Sun, Jul 3, 2011 : 1:04 a.m.
I hate how the news paper always gets everything wrong. it did on my best friends case and now a good acquaintance of mine.....
Dante Marcos
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 4:30 p.m.
Amazing to me which comments aa.com leaves up and which it removes. A lot of insensitivity here, in that some of us equate "drug dealer" with "party store clerk." In other words, some of us feel marijuana is much more benevolent a social item than, say, vodka, which is responsible for many thousands of deaths each year.
Huron74
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 11:42 p.m.
It's all in the perception. If the the headline had been "man shot selling antique card table" the notion of who was the victim and who are the bad guys would be quite clear. But when you have black market clandestine transactions going on late at night in a parking structure, this is what you get.
psaume23
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 2:49 p.m.
Grimmk: The idea of a "militia" may rub a lot of folks wrong around these parts, but maybe citizens should consider a neighborhood watch group or something akin to the "guardian angels" in NY and Philly in the 1990's.
Doug
Sun, Jul 3, 2011 : 5:49 a.m.
Neighborhood-watch groups? Yes. NY-style "guardian angels." Bernie Goetzes, or other sort of weapon-toting, vigilante groups roaming the streets? Definitely not.
grimmk
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 3:04 p.m.
Not trying to rub folk wrong, but more wanted to rub in that we've got to be our own advocates. It sickens me that this sort of crime is happening in the city I love. I don't want to be afraid to go out at night by myself. I shouldn't be. I want Ann Arbor to be a safe place.
Huron74
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 2:02 p.m.
Unintentional as it maybe some of these posters have a point. When was the last time (at least since Prohibition ended) have you heard of anyone being shot over a beer deal?
Huron74
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 2:28 p.m.
Seriously. How about a farmer's market kind of arrangement for dope? Let them set up booths, out in open, with police and security and in full view of the public, like they have in Netherlands? First rule of public policy ought to be "first do no harm".
grimmk
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 2:42 a.m.
What is going on here, Ann Arbor? When I was in high school my friends and I would wander all around Ann Arbor at all times of the night and not worry about being shot or accosted. Granted we had big burly guys with us, but we'd run around in the parks at night and not run into drug dealers. And to be shot over POT?! I mean, for crack or whatnot, that I could understand, but for POT?! Geeze. That's just sad. I feel like Ann Arbor is turning into a mini Detroit. We used to go years without a shot being fired. Not saying we were never crime free, but we're certainly on a crime spree. Thank god we have the police-oh wait. We don't. Time to form up those neighborhood watch militia.
anti-thug
Sun, Jul 3, 2011 : 2:53 a.m.
well title is south of ypsi and Ann Arbor but no worries Ann Street in downtown Ann Arbor was much worst then all this in 70's. Ann Arbor used little worst now it going down again.
smokeblwr
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 2:47 a.m.
Do you really think the hipsters and trustfund artists downtown are going form a militia? Militias are for people who live in the townships or at least west of Stadium Blvd.
retiree80
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 1:34 a.m.
Mayor, City council, Police Chief - your infinite wisdom is loosing a bit of stock . . . three shootings in Ann Arbor inside of a month's time....great time to downsize your police, dispatch and fire departments. Who should you going to blame for this rise in crime? Look in the mirror.... shame on all of you!!!
anti-thug
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 1:21 a.m.
people talk "Malibu's Most Wanted" about Ann Arbor but the bullets aren't made out of rubber and downtown "aint" to pretty now a day. Mr major how do you plan to keep downtown safe with cut in law enforcement?
Sallyxyz
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:24 a.m.
So, who is going to pay for the medical expenses for the thug in the hospital? I doubt that drug dealers carry health insurance.
DFSmith
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 2:42 p.m.
sally, the guy who got shot was the victim. He was just some desperate pothead, so, I guess we, the taxpayers are going to have to pony up the $250,000.00 or more his treatment will cost.
psaume23
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:15 a.m.
Where did it occur? Which lot? (Basic news info. requested)
CynicA2
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 10:56 p.m.
Just remember... crime is down - we get safer every year! The Hieftje tells us so... LOL.
shrewdrealist
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 10:41 p.m.
Imagine if Drugs were legal... ...What kind of banter would be going on in message boards. Look at the drug situation in Portugal: <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20110701-portugal-drug-law-show-results-ten-years-experts-say#" rel='nofollow'>http://www.france24.com/en/20110701-portugal-drug-law-show-results-ten-years-experts-say#</a>
anti-thug
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 11:42 p.m.
don't bite the tongue !
njoy
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.
We're missing some critical information here. Which parking lot?
newsboy
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 6:21 p.m.
Great job AAPD!!!! Sorry but we still have to let you go. We need to put more resources into subsidize housing, golf courses, homeless shelters and empty buses. Can't wait till I go broke paying taxes and lose my home. Then the city will give me anything I want! P.S. Craigslist: City of Ann Arbor seeks two well qualified hood rats to replace the two poorly trained candidates we just lost.
anti-thug
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 11:41 p.m.
considering that is happened in the city center its no wonder how fast these geeks were caught.THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY WEED SHOULD LEGAL BECAUSE THEN IT WOULDN'T IN HANDS OF PETTY THUG AND INSTEAD YOU BUY IT AT YOUR LOCAL DRUG STORE!!
drut_ferguson
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 4:24 p.m.
Omar from The Wire never got caught when he held up a drug dealer. What a bunch of amateurs...
anti-thug
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:06 a.m.
Well Omar is in Detroit well "Kwame Kilpatrick" was the name....
smokeblwr
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 3:56 p.m.
Well, you know the two young men did not come from Ann Arbor's 20-something Hipster Contingent. If they did they would have used a 18th-century musket just to be ironic about it. And the time between shot #1 and shot #2 would have given the drug dealer time to get away and sell more drugs to more of our citizens.
anti-thug
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:04 a.m.
shut! when Ann Arbor cuts cops then we start being a western flick downtown. oh! lawlessness! this that plan? is Ann Arbor a experiment now?
Robert Stone
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 6:09 p.m.
No, they would have just thrown their rare single origin south american espresso at the guy.
Belgium
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 4:53 p.m.
I love the visual of the drug dealer watching the two pour powder, ram wadding and ball and replace the ramrod as he's walking quickly away muttering, "seriously?"
Ricebrnr
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 3:33 p.m.
hmm, wonder if the shotgun was legally owned? Also wonder since there wasn't panic in the streets prior to the shooting if it had been modified to be shorter than legal. Nah
tdw
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 6:49 p.m.
Robert .. simple answer.Bird shot is cheaper.We're not exactly dealing with wizards here
Robert Stone
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 6:08 p.m.
I don't get why drug dealers would use bird shot. Since when were they worried about harming bystanders? A round of 00 buckshot from a 12 gauge is equivalent to a 9 round burst from a 9mm SMG, supposedly.
tdw
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 3:42 p.m.
Rice...In my experience ( on the right side of the law ) it was more than likely birdshot.Not that makes any difference at 10 ft. 10ft with birdshot = nasty
f4phantomII
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 3:25 p.m.
He missed from ten feet? With a shotgun? Geez.
Ricebrnr
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 3:31 p.m.
@ ten feet with bird or buckshot the pattern is likely smaller than your fist. Professional boxers miss with those at even closer distances all the time. The you don't need to aim a shotgun myth is just that, a myth.
Ethan Lardner
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 3:19 p.m.
A .22? you're kidding right? I'd bring a shotgun to a drug deal over a .22 any day. A.22 isn't going to protect you.
Robert Stone
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 6:13 p.m.
A .22 is more likely to cause someone to bleed slowly to death than cause the immediate hydrostatic shock needed for a "one shot stop", even if the wound from one is nastier than most people would expect. If the drug dealers were partaking of their own stock then hydrostatic shock might not even happen very easily.
Belgium
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 3:55 p.m.
Yes, I was kidding. From my experience, drugs and firearms don't mix. And you're wrong about a .22. A .22 is a nasty wound and will stop someone from doing whatever they are doing, but not so nasty as to kill them. A shotgun at close range is very nasty and could easily kill. As as another wise poster noted, takes a bit of skill to hit at a close range. It also makes a lot of noise. Yes, for taking out a drug dealer, you only need a .22. These guys were not using the shotgun for protection, they were using it to rob a drug dealer. All ethics aside, it only makes sense if you're trying to make a lot of noise and do a lot of damage. That seems counter productive to a robbery.
Belgium
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 3:09 p.m.
A shotgun, seriously? Saving the .22 for mosquitoes? This is a classic example of using the wrong tool for the job.