SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - A gas station shooting suspect has been arrested and pieces of the weapon which he allegedly buried, have been recovered, Southfield police said Thursday.
The backstory:
Jeremiah Clemons, of West Bloomfield, was arrested for allegedly shooting a 47-year-old man twice at the Exxon gas station at 20705 Southfield Road at Eight Mile, following an argument.
Police say the shooting took place at 9:20 p.m. Sunday night after an altercation inside the convenience store.
Evidence video from the station shows a man purported to be Clemons wearing a mask. The arguing then continued outside near the gas pumps when the shooting took place.
Clemons, 21, allegedly shot four times at the victim, hitting him twice. When police arrived at the scene, officers rendered aid to the man wounded in his left leg. He is currently still hospitalized, recovering from the non-life threatening wounds.
Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said that a second man who was with Clemons cooperated with the investigation.
One day later on Monday, Barren said officers followed Clemons before arresting him using a traffic stop near the Lodge freeway and Evergreen.
"A search warrant was executed at his residence. Investigators recovered multiple items of evidentiary value, including the firearm magazine, and ammunition," Barren said. "Further investigation determined that after the incident, Clemmons disabled the firearm used in the shooting and buried its components."
Barren said that Clemons told police that he buried firearm parts in a vacant lot in Detroit in the 19000 block of Dresden near Seven Mile and Hoover. The barrel and spring were wrapped in a white plastic grocery bag.
"During his interview with detectives, Clemens stated that he gave the lower frame of the handgun to a homeless man who was roaming the area," Barren said.
Clemons claimed he was given the gun by a friend two years earlier. The gun was never registered and has no record, but Barren said the ATF will work with Southfield PD to identify the origin.
Jeremiah Clemons
Clemons has no previous criminal history but Barren speculated that this may have been the first time amid a pattern of risky behavior, he had been caught.
"When you look at individuals carrying guns illegally, on top of that, wearing a mask on top of that, quickly disassembling and burying, parts, I could assure you, this is not the first time something has happened," he said. "But maybe the first time it came to law enforcement's attention to who he is."
Clemons was arraignment on three charges - assault with intent to murder, weapons felony firearm and weapons carrying concealed. He was given a $250,000 bond cash surety with a GPS tether and home confinement should he post it.
Barren credited the work of Southfield police in the quick investigation and arrest while also emphasizing the need for conflict resolution.
"We want to emphasize the importance of de-escalation in conflict resolution," he said. "Disputes should be addressed without resorting to violence."
There was no word on what the argument was about, the chief added.
"I put my common sense hat on (and) it's some foolishness," he said. "He's 47, they're in their early 20s. The best thing to do is simply walk away. And I'm talking both sides, drop the egos because this is a shooting that should not have happened."
The Source: Information for this report was provided by Southfield police.