Center Line shooting case: Domestic violence survivors working to save more lives
Center Line man charged in murder of girlfriend
On Friday night, the court system was dealing with yet another tragedy that could have been prevented in many ways. It’s why domestic violence survivors like JoJo Dries are digging even deeper to help those who need it before it’s too late. Survivor and advocate JoJo Dries reacts strongly to news of yet another deadly case of domestic violence.
CENTER LINE. Mich. (FOX 2) - A Center Line man was charged in the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, with children present at the time. It’s one of the latest cases of domestic violence ending in murder, and it has survivor advocates scrambling to save even more lives.
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On Friday night, the court system was dealing with yet another tragedy that could have been prevented in many ways. It’s why domestic violence survivors like JoJo Dries are digging even deeper to help those who need it before it’s too late.
Survivor and advocate JoJo Dries reacts strongly to news of yet another deadly case of domestic violence.
Thirty-nine-year-old Zachary Fuqua is now charged in the shooting death of his girlfriend, 38-year-old Erica Sanders, in Center Line this past Tuesday.
The murder happened with children in the home, according to police.
"These murders don’t just happen in a box or a bubble," said Dries. "This abuse has been happening. The survivor sees no way out or no solutions outside of this, so they stay and it escalates into murder."
Prosecutors say Fuqua shot his girlfriend in the back of the head near Van Dyke and Sterling Street. Police say he ran but was arrested a short distance away and charged with second-degree murder, along with five other weapons felonies.
The judge said Fuqua had a prior conviction of carrying a concealed weapon and was not supposed to have a firearm.
"What the people intend to prove in this case is the defendant had no qualms with shooting his significant other in the back of the head in the presence of three minor children," said Jonathan Mycek from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. "Moreover, the callousness of such an action, especially as it’s alleged he left the house, gave the children candy and said, ‘Here y’all babies go,’ suggests a disregard for the value of human life."
"Your honor, my client is a Warren resident, a Chrysler employee, who supports an 11-year-old daughter," said defense attorney Mark Vrana. "Obviously the charges are quite severe, but we ask for a presumption of innocence at this time and ask the court to take that into consideration when setting bond."
"When I escaped, the community surrounded me with their loving arms, and I didn’t know they were going to do that," Dries said. "The way I put it is I jumped without a net, and the net appeared. People provided clothes, beds, and helped pay for my apartment. We modeled On the Wings of Angels after my own story."
What's next:
Dries says On the Wings of Angels has helped 200 women and several hundred children escape dangerous situations. As for Fuqua, his bond was denied. His next court date is April 1.