Man Slated To Testify In I-94 Shooting Case Slain
YPSILANTI TWP. (WWJ/AP) - A 28-year-old Ypsilanti man scheduled to testify in a Detroit freeway shooting case has been killed.
The Detroit News and WJBK-TV report that Brandon Charles was shot to death Tuesday night in Washtenaw County's Ypsilanti Township.
Charles was one of two people wounded about 3:10 a.m. on Jan. 1 following a what authorities described as a "traffic confrontation" along westbound I-94 near Junction on Detroit's southwest side.
Police said the victims were on their way home from Detroit's MGM Grand Casino when they noticed they were being followed. A short time later, they said the suspect or suspects started shooting.
Charles was struck, but his injuries were minor. The woman in the car was shot nine times, but survived.
Charles was to take the stand Wednesday in the preliminary examination of Willie Wimberly and Steve Smith-Rush, who are charged in the freeway shooting.
The Wayne County prosecutor's office says Wednesday's hearing in Detroit's 36th District Court has been adjourned to Feb. 20.
Authorities say they are still trying to determine if Charles' slaying and the freeway shooting are connected.
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