Michigan Man Shoots 6-Year-Old Retrieving Bicycle From His Front Yard
KEY POINTS
- Ryan Le-Nguyen was charged with assault with intent to murder
- He was released after paying his $10,000 bond
- The prosecutor's office has passed an emergency motion
- The said motion aims to increase Le-Nguyen bond to $100,000
A man allegedly shot his 6-year-old neighbor on his arm while the boy was trying to retrieve his bicycle from the front yard of the suspect's Michigan home.
The suspect, 29-year-old Ryan Le-Nguyen, threatened and shot Coby Daniel at around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, reported MLive. Prior to the incident, the child was playing with two other young family members close to Le-Nguyen's front yard on the 1300 block of Candlewood Lane in Ypsilanti Township, police said.
According to Arnold Daniel, the young boy's father, the children were outside on their bikes and at one point Coby left his bike in front of their neighbor's home.
When the 6-year-old went to get his bicycle an angry Le-Nguyen confronted him with a sledgehammer and Coby reportedly said something to him in response.
Le-Nguyen then went inside his house and fired at Coby from his window, injuring the child's arm. The incident was captured on a neighbor's doorbell video.
In the said clip, a single gunshot could be heard. The sound was followed by the voice of Coby, who yelled, "He shot me! He shot me!"
The child did not suffer life-threatening injuries and is on his path to recovery.
"He tried hitting me with a sledgehammer but that's not going to work because I'm too fast," Coby said as per the New York Post. "[Then he] got a gun and BOOM shot me right here."
Le-Nguyen was arrested and charged with assault with intent to murder. However, he was released on bail by Judge Elisha Fink of the Washtenaw County 14-A District Court after paying his $10,000 bond on Tuesday.
County prosecutor Eli Savit criticized the judge's decision. "We have charged that case with the highest possible available charges—assault with intent to murder," Savit wrote in a Facebook post.
"We share in the community's pain and anger from a child being shot. And we know that, for many, the pain and anger is compounded by the fact that the defendant was able to make his bond as set by the court," Savit added. "To be clear: our office recommended significantly more restrictive bond conditions, and we disagree with the bond decision that was handed down by the court."
According to Le-Nguyen's bail conditions, he cannot return to his residence along Candlewood Lane.
Meanwhile, an emergency motion has been raised by the prosecutor's office to increase Le-Nguyen's bond to $100,000.
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