Pontiac – County Court jurors in Oakland County on Friday sentenced a homeowner in Rochester Hills for shooting at a stray teenager who had come to his door to ask for directions to his school.

Jeffrey Zeigler, 53, was convicted of assault with the intent to cause greater bodily harm than murder and possession of a firearm at the time of the perpetrator. a crime on April 12 in the incident occurred at his home.

Zeigler could be sentenced to up to 10 years' imprisonment for the assault conviction, plus a two-year mandatory sentence for counting firearms.

In closing arguments, Deputy Attorney Kelly Collins told the jury that the jury's evidence indicated that Brennan Walker, a 14-year-old freshman in Rochester Hills High, was not fatally injured because Zeigler had not been able to fire his 12-gauge Mossberg rifle immediately since. security was engaged, giving Walker the time needed to escape into the horseshoe drive in front of Zeigler's home.

"Choices have been made and the choices have consequences," Collins told the jury on Friday morning. "… He told you about his past and his references and how he is a remarkable citizen and landlord who has been robbed before … and how he felt he was in danger, as well as his wife.

"He was the danger on April 12th."

Zeigler's lawyer, Rob Morad, told the jurors that his client was shooting in the air, not hurting anyone, and was trying to protect his wife. He noticed that the shotgun had other cartridges inside and Zeigler fired only once and never pursued Walker.

"If he wanted to kill him, he could have shot him under the porch," said Morad.

Zeigler was charged with assault with intent to murder and Judge Wendy Potts instructed the jurors to consider any charge of assault with intent to cause bodily harm.

The incident involving Zeigler, who is white, and Walker, who is black, prompted accusations in the community that he was motivated by racial considerations.

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Zeigler, who has spent more than 24 years in the Detroit Fire Department, testified that things were "chaotic" this morning around 8:15 am when he woke up from a police station. deep sleep in the face of his wife's screams that someone was trying to introduce them at home by the front. door. He ran down the stairs after seeing a man at the door and grabbed a loaded shotgun that he was guarding behind the door of his office.

A home surveillance video filmed him going out and pointing the gun at Walker who was running down the aisle and then lowered him when she was naked. Was not fired and cleared security. She then picked it up and fired a bullet. Zeigler said he was attempting to fire a "warning shot" on the fugitive man and on anyone else likely to have attempted to invade his home.

The video was on social media Friday.

In his first statements to the police, Zeigler gave a different version: he had slipped under the porch and the shotgun had accidentally been unloaded. When he was confronted with his own video, Zeigler took a glass of water and told Oakland County Detective Shawn Pace: "I was tired of it. to be a victim, "said Pace this week.

Oakland County MPs reacted to the break-in, as reported by Zeigler's wife to a 911 operator. They met a "upset" and Walker in tears in a street near the subdivision.

Walker told them that he had missed his school bus and decided to try to walk to school by crossing an unknown subdivision when he got lost. He stopped at an address to get to school and, confused a second time, he stopped at the Zeigler house.

The Zeiglers have lived in the home of the Christian Hills subdivision for over 13 years. There have been five attempts of breaking and entering or attempts, including one in which they were asleep at home, said Zeigler. A teenage neighbor was prosecuted for three incidents in 2010.

Citizens have the right to protect themselves at home if they feel threatened by an intruder trying to force a door or window. If a suspect escapes and there is no danger, shooting them is an offense punishable.

"Nothing justifies his actions that morning," Collins told the jury.

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