Jeffrey Zeigler: A Michigan man shot a black teenager who asked him his way

Brennan Walker did not take the morning bus to school. He did not have his phone. And he did not know how to get to his high school.

Brennan needed help finding his way back home and Jeffrey Zeigler's home seemed just as good as anyone looking for good neighborly advice.

Zeigler answered with a shotgun shot.

The jurors watched Tuesday's video of the Zeigler incident, which showed how Brennan, then 14, could have died a violent death on April 12 in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Zeigler, a retired firefighter, has been charged with assault with intent to murder, which could lead to life imprisonment, Oakland County District Attorney Jessica R. Cooper said Thursday in Washington. , as well as the use of a firearm in a crime.

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A camera that appears to be on the porch of Zeigler has captured the teenager, black, approaching the house wearing a backpack. Brennan said Monday that Zeigler's wife had opened the door and immediately accused him of attempting to break into the house, the Oakland Press News reported.

"I was scared … I was trying to tell them I was trying to go to high school, but they were not listening," said Brennan.

Zeigler's wife screamed, and Zeigler jumped out of bed, armed himself with a shotgun and ran to the porch. Brennan, seeing the agitation, returned and fled the house, shows the video.

Brennan was almost out of the yard when Zeigler found himself shirtless, carried his shotgun and leveled the gun in the direction of the teenager.

He fired a single shot, shows the video. Brennan was not hurt.

Cooper declined to comment further, citing this week's lawsuit.

Zeigler's lawyer, Rob Morad, stated that race was not a determining factor in the shooting (Zeigler is white) and that his client and his wife were on high alert after five burglaries at home. Zeigler "acted out of passion instead of judgment," Morad told the jurors. He did not return a request for comment on Thursday.

Zeigler also claimed to have inadvertently shot the shotgun after slipping. The video shows Zeigler pausing for a few beats before firing. Oakland County Sheriff's assistant Jason Marshall testified that he could not say exactly where Zeigler was after watching the video, the Press News reported.

Shawn Pace, a detective from the sheriff's office, said on Tuesday that he had investigated the robbery allegations and then watched the video. "I was shocked," said Pace, according to Press News. He looked at her again, then became "loaded, because I was offended by what I had seen."

Shortly after the incident, Oakland County Sheriff, Michael Bouchard, said, "It's absurd that this has happened. I feel bad for the young man; I feel very bad for the mother and for the anxiety they have gone through.

Brennan's mother, Lisa Wright, said in April that she thought the reaction in the Zeigler family was racially motivated. She watched the video shortly after the incident. "You can hear the woman say," Why did these people choose my house? Who are these people? ", Says Wright. And that made me angry. I did not want to believe it was what it looked like. When I heard it say it was, but it is. "

Zeigler claimed that he thought Brennan was a threat. But Pace showed him the video and asked him to indicate where the teenager had shown bad intentions.

Zeigler "took a big glass of water, he looked at me, and he said," I'm tired of being a victim, "said Pace.

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