Suspect's family: shooting of girlfriend was accident; defend his social media posts

(WJBK) - A teenaged girl is on life support after she's shot in the head with her 21-year-old boyfriend is accused of pulling the trigger.

On Monday afternoon 17-year-old Marche Lowe was shot inside her home in Chesterfield Township. Her boyfriend Oshae Thomas is charged with assault with intent to murder.

Friends of Lowe tell us the couple had been dating for two years. They claim he was abusive and even threatened to kill her if she broke up with him.
  
The family wanted everyone to know the young couple was in love - planning for their big prom date. Although they weren't there - they believe the shooting was an accident.

"This was just a big accident," said Shay Brown, Thomas' aunt. "They were about to go to prom, he just got a tux, they've been looking for a dress for two weeks."

On the day Thomas was charged with the shooting of his girlfriend, his family spoke out on his behalf, claiming Oshae was a quiet, non-confrontational young man and what happened inside Marche Lowe's Chesterfield home must have been an accident.

"He was a good kid, he hustled, he did whatever he had to do," Brown said. "He loved that girl."

"There is no way he pulled that trigger to shoot her intentionally," said the suspect's sister Diamond Hardy. "Like no way. They said the Smith and Wesson; there is no safety on the gun. All you have to do is tap it, I googled it, and it goes off."

FOX 2: "But why should he have guns in the first place?"

"That's true," said Hardy.

Oshae, who his family claims makes his living as a rapper, portrays a much different image on his public Twitter page pictured several times holding multiple guns and stacks of cash.

"They are rappers, they are not real guns," said Thomas' uncle. "The guns (they have) are not real, some of the money (isn't) real, some of it is.

"But that's not saying he is a mass killer, he's a criminal, he's a drug dealer."

"Those guns they have in those videos false, no," Hardy said. "That's fake."

FOX 2: "What about the stacks of money?"

"No, that could be fake too," she said.

But the gun used to shoot Marche Lowe certainly wasn't. At first her boyfriend lied claiming the 17 year-old was shot by a white man with a buzz cut.

But police quickly figured out the truth.

>>CLICK HERE to donate to a GoFundMe for Marche Lowe's medical expenses.

His uncle, who didn't want us to show his face, says he talked to him that night.

"He was scared, it was a freak accident, he called his family members," he said. "You don't know what to expect. That's the person you love, you don't want to go to jail but you want to get her help."

RELATED:
Boyfriend of Chesterfield teen charged with shooting her lied to police
Friend of shot Chesterfield teen: boyfriend was abusive, controlling

"I feel so sorry for the family, my prayers go out to you all," said Brown. "Accidents do happen."

Oshae Thomas' parents did not comment but relatives say they are taking this very hard.

Thomas was not licensed to carry a gun.