Diversrecoverhatecrimeevidence
Police believe disassembled handgun used to terrorize local family
Investigators recovered critical evidence in the Clinton River on Tuesday in the violent hate crime case against a Blackfamily inWarren, authorities said.
Divers fromtheMacombCounty Sheriff’sOffice found part of a disassembled handgun thatwas used to fire shots at the home and vehicle of Eddie and CandaceHall last month.
Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said although a suspect has been charged, the investigation into the series of attacks continues.
“They did find some evidence, a part of the gun we believewas used in the Hall case,” he said.
Divers found the gun part in the river along North River Road under the Interstate 94 overpass on the border of Harrison Township and Mount Clemens.
Wednesday was a regularlyscheduled training day for the sheriff’s dive team. When the team was askedto assist theWarrenPoliceDepartment, they incorporated the river search into their training, said sheriff’s Sgt. Renee Yax. She
referred further inquiries to Warren police officials.
Michael Frederick Jr., who is white, was arraigned last week in 37th District Court in Warren on nine criminal counts for his attacks against the Hall family in their Tallman Avenue home.
Frederick, 24, is accused of accused of twice firing shots a total of nine shots at the home and a vehicle parked at the home, writing graffiti on a vehicle, and slashing the tires of three vehicles.
According topolice, Frederick, in an hours-long confession, said his actionswere not motivated by the race of the Halls but rather their political beliefs. They had posted a Black Lives Matter sign in their front window.
Likewise, a second attack that took place in the same neighborhood had political motivations. In that incident, a white family had political signs in front of the house supporting Democratic candidates in the upcoming election. Frederick has not yet been charged in that case.
A tipster informed police of Frederick’s suspected involvement in the Hall family incident, which took place Sept. 7-10. He was arrested after officers found clothes, including amask and shoes, matching those the attacker wore in surveillance video during a search of Frederick’s home.
The tipster said Frederick used a gun that was owned by his father’s ex-girlfriend. The father toldpolicehe disassembled and disposed of the firearm. It’s not known if the fatherwill face charges for tamperingwith evidence.
Frederick is being held on a $200,000 bond in the Macomb County Jail. He is due to returnto court Oct. 13 for a probably cause conference.
HisMount Clemens-based attorney, Paul Stockyj, declined to comment.