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Alphonso Cooper, Jr., (Police photo)
Alphonso Cooper Jr., 19, of Romulus, was arraigned Thursday morning on charges relating to the shooting and wounding of a 17-year-old male from Van Buren Township and a 22-year-old woman from Ferndale on June 23, the night of Detroit's annual downtown fireworks.
Detroit 36th District Magistrate William Burton set bond at $500,000 cash bond with a GPS tether and house arrest. A preliminary exam is set for July 25 at 8:45 a.m.
The shootings occurred shortly after 10 p.m. in the area of Randolph Street and Cadillac Square, in the heart of downtown.
Detroit police officers in the area saw the 17-year-old victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his legs and the 22-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her right hand, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
Medics transported both victims to a local hospital for treatment.
Authorities say Cooper and the 17-year-old victim got into a physical altercation. Cooper allegedly produced a gun and fired multiple times, striking both victims before fleeing. The 22-year-old woman was an innocent bystander and had no involvement in the altercation.
After a lengthy search, authorities arrested Cooper on Monday at a home in Washtenaw County.
Cooper faces two counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, one count of carrying a concealed weapon, and four counts of felony firearm.
“These shootings allegedly occurred because the defendant could not handle a disagreement and introduced a deadly weapon into the mix,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in a statement. “This defendant did not care that there were hundreds of potential victims in the area. Bullets have no eyes, and it is extremely fortuitous that more fireworks attendees were not injured.”
