A Detroit man is facing federal firearm charges in connection with a shooting last spring at a gas station on the city’s west side, officials announced Wednesday.
James Taylor, 27, was arraigned through U.S. District Court on an indictment that charged him with two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm as well as one count of felon in possession of ammunition, records show.
Each count carries a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement.
A not guilty plea was entered. Taylor was ordered detained pending trial.
An attorney listed as representing him did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
According to an affidavit, a surveillance camera filmed Taylor firing shots April 25 at a driver outside a gas station near Livernois and Waverly on Detroit’s west side.
“After the other driver fled from his vehicle, Taylor circled around the gas station several times in an apparent effort to look for the other driver,” federal officials said Wednesday. “Taylor then took the other driver’s car from the gas station.”
No one was injured during the incident. Taylor, who was on pretrial release in Wayne County for a separate felony offense, had been on tether at the time, according to the release.
“The type of brazen behavior alleged in this case is shocking, and it is a miracle that someone was not injured or killed,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said. “We will not tolerate it any longer. My office will work closely with our federal partners, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Detroit Police Department to ensure the most violent are taken off the street. This is an example of that type of coordination.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with help from DPD.
“Crime gun intelligence utilized in this case illustrates ATF’s priorities on effectively identifying and removing violent criminals from our communities,” said Craig Kailimai, Acting Special Agent in Charge at ATF. “The efforts of our federal, state, tribal and local partnerships have had a significant impact on reducing the threat of gun violence.”
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