Washtenaw County prosecutors to decide charges in fatal shooting in Pittsfield Township
Update: Pittsfield Township homeowner being released as police investigate whether shooting was self-defense
Pittsfield Township police plan to forward their investigation into a fatal shooting to Washtenaw County prosecutors in the morning.
Pittsfield Public Safety Director Matt Harshberger said in an e-mail this evening that detectives have been following up on leads today and are getting reports ready to be submitted Friday. He declined to provide any new details in the shooting that killed a 28-year-old Van Buren Township man.
The fatal shooting Wednesday occurred outside this home on Rockport Court.
The shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Arbor Creek subdivision, near a school bus stop where about 20 children were waiting.
The shooting took place after an altercation outside the home of 34-year-old Adham Mofiid Abu Farha. A witness told AnnArbor.com she saw two men shake hands in the driveway before the shooting.
Michael Robert Rajchel was shot multiple times and was found dead in the passenger seat of a sport utility vehicle parked in Farha's driveway on Rockport Court.
Officers arrested Farha at the scene of the shooting. Police said he had a gun tucked in his waistband when he was apprehended there.
Investigators have not released a possible motive for the shooting. Harshberger said it will be up to prosecutors to decide what charges Farha could face.
It was the first homicide in Pittsfield Township in more than a year.
Comments
ms232323
Fri, Dec 4, 2009 : 11:44 a.m.
Amalie, When are we expected to find out what charges, if any, the prospector will be bringing against the suspect? Today? Also, when the charges are brought, will the prosecutor reveal more information (911 call details, motive, investigative findings). Thanks.
djm12652
Fri, Dec 4, 2009 : 10:10 a.m.
To scooterdog....you are on the money with your comment, and to 1201SouthMain, I agree completely. If there was a modicum of investigative journalism going on, there would be much more to this story.
1201SouthMain
Fri, Dec 4, 2009 : 10:03 a.m.
I don't say this to knock annarbor.com but I can't help but feel a story such as this is where we really are missing out on having a printed paper. I'm not a journalist but I would think a good local paper journalist would be able to get some information on what this shooting was all about. This happened in a nice neighborhood in broad daylight! There must be people that know what led to this if somebody would simply ask. It might be from the judicial end and off the record but I can't help to think that nobody is asking the right people the right questions. But I'm not a journalist so I could be totally off base here.
scooter dog
Thu, Dec 3, 2009 : 10:23 p.m.
It makes no difference what they charge him with in this county He will get a slap on the wrist by the local so called wannabe judges.Melinda Morris in particular