DETROIT – A Westland man is accused of killing a Grand Blanc teen in the basement of a Detroit home and stealing his AR-15 after they went to a party together, officials said.
Police said Avion Sanders, 23, of Westland, and Jacob Hills, 18, of Grand Blanc, went to a party together on July 24 in Detroit.
Hills brought his new AR-15 rifle with him to the party, according to authorities.
When they left the party, they drove to a home in the 22300 block of West Warren Avenue in Detroit, police said. They went into the basement, and then only Sanders came back out of the home, according to officials.
Detroit police officers said they found Hills’ car around 3:10 p.m. July 24 at a hookah lounge in the 6100 block of North Telegraph Road in Dearborn Heights.
At 1:11 a.m. July 25, authorities were called to the West Warren Avenue address, where they found Hills unresponsive in the basement, they said. There were multiple gunshot wounds on his body, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sanders is accused of killing Hills, stealing his rifle, and abandoning his car at the hookah lounge, officials said.
Sanders fled but was taken into custody by Detroit police on Tuesday (Aug. 9).
He is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, larceny, felon in possession, and three felony firearm violations.
“We try to never rush to judgment on cases because the facts are sometimes not as they initially appear or as reported,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said. “After thoroughly reviewing the DPD investigation and the timeline of events, we believe that we can prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt in court.”
Sanders was arraigned Friday at 36th District Court and remanded to jail.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 26, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sept. 2.
