CLAWSON, Mich. (WXYZ) — Three people have been charged in connection with the shooting death of an 18-year-old man who was killed Thursday night in Clawson.
Twenty-one-year-old Howell resident Tylaj Clark-Spencer has been charged with Manslaughter, Receiving and Concealing Stolen Firearm, and two counts of Felony Firearms. Twenty-year-old Royal Oak resident Joshua Peel and a 17-year-old juvenile have both been charged with Accessory after the Fact/Manslaughter.
Oakland County prosecutors say that Thursday evening, Clark-Spencer, Peel, the victim, and one other person were preparing to leave a Clawson apartment to attend a party. They say Clark-Spencer was allegedly carrying a gun and checked to see if it was loaded when the gun fired, killing the victim.
Police say they were called to a residence in the area of 14 Mile and Renshaw around 10:31 p.m., where they found a man with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to police.
Prosecutors accuse the juvenile defendant of hiding the gun and other evidence for Clark-Spencer a few hours later, after leaving the scene with Peel. Prosecutors say the gun appears to have been stolen from a safe belonging to the juvenile defendant’s father.
Police originally took two people into custody and were searching for a third. On Saturday, they confirmed they had located the third suspect and took him into custody as well.
Earlier Friday, Royal Oak police said they were assisting the Clawson Police Department with an investigation on the 1200 block of Butternut Avenue. The situation there has concluded, police say.
“The shooter should never have had that gun, and he and those who assisted him after the shooting will be held accountable for this tragedy,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a news release. “Gun violence is preventable. This case is a terrible reminder of how quickly a situation can turn deadly when the wrong person gets a gun.”
Watch: Scene from the SWAT situation earlier in Royal Oak
According to the prosecutor's office, Manslaughter is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a $7,500 fine, Receiving and Concealing Stolen Firearm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. Felony Firearms is punishable by two years in prison, consecutive with any other sentence. Accessory after the Fact/Manslaughter is punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
