Alphonso Cooper, Jr., is charged with shooting two people during the Detroit Fireworks show last month.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A 19-year-old man is facing attempted murder charges in connection to the shooting at the Detroit Fireworks show last month.
Alphonso Cooper, Jr., 19, was charged with the non-fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Van Buren Township man and a 22-year-old Ferndale woman on June 23, just as the fireworks show on the Detroirt River was starting.
According to the prosecutor's office, Cooper and the 17-year-old victim got into a fight that led to the suspect pulling a gun and firing multiple shots. The 17-year-old was wounded in the shooting, while the 22-year-old victim was an innocent bystander.
Cooper was on the run for several weeks before he was arrested by Detroit Police on July 7.
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Detroit police give update on downtown shooting
Detroit police say two males got into a fight while in a large crowd when one pulled out a gun and fired two shots. A 17-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The woman was not involved in the altercation.
What they're saying:
Police say Cooper Jr. was arrested at a home in Washtenaw County on Monday afternoon.
"Our officers have worked countless hours on this investigation to ensure that we brought the individual responsible for the fireworks shooting into custody," said Detroit Police Chief, Todd A. Bettison. "I am confident that Alphonso Cooper Jr. is the person who fired the shots at this year’s fireworks, injuring a 17-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman. I want to thank the community for all the tips, along with my officers and all of our law enforcement partners who assisted in this process."
This week, Cooper was charged with two counts each of assault with intent to murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm, plus charges of carrying a concealed weapon and felony firearms.
"These shootings allegedly occurred because the defendant could not handle a disagreement and introduced a deadly weapon into the mix. 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," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
Cooper was arraigned Thursday and ordered held on a $500,000 cash bond. He's due back in court on July 14 with a preliminary hearing set for July 25.
The Source: Information from the prosucutor's office and previous stories from FOX 2 Detroit was all used in this report.