by
Eastern Market
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Wednesday that the 40-year-old shooter in Eastern Market, who killed two people Sunday with one bullet, acted in self-defense and won't face criminal charges.
The shooter, who was not identified, fatally shot Jalen Welch, 25, and Rayshawn Palmer, 40, both of Detroit. Both the shooter and Welch had CPLs (concealed pistol licenses). Palmer was pronounced dead at the scene. Welch died later.
The shooting happened on Sunday around 4:30 p.m., just after the Detroit Lions' game at Ford Field at the Buccaneers. People at Eastern Market had been tailgating.
According to the prosecutor's office, there was a fight involving several men near Shed 6 in Eastern Market.
The shooter who was from Oak Park was not involved in the fight but was nearby. Shortly after the altercation, a group of approximately five men were involved in a verbal argument.
The evidence shows that Welch walked into the middle of the verbal argument holding a pistol in a threatening manner while approaching the shooter from Oak Park, the prosecutor's office said.
The shooter then removed his concealed pistol from near his waist and shot Welch one time. The bullet traveled through Welch's head and struck Palmer, killing both. The shooter remained at the scene and was taken into custody.
Palmer, the prosecutor's office said, was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the fight and was acting as a peacemaker, trying to discourage Welch and the other men from arguing.
“We have reviewed this case thoroughly and this is a case of lawful self-defense," Prosecutor Worthy said in a statement. "It is absolutely tragic that during all the fun and merrymaking at a Lions tailgate that two lives were lost. The first was Mr. Welch who was the one who first pulled out a gun and was shot by the 40-year-old, a lawful CPL holder, who was defending himself. A single shot was fired.”
“And then, perhaps the most heartbreaking of all is the fact that a completely and totally innocent bystander, Mr. Palmer was shot and killed with the same bullet that passed through the head of Mr. Welch. It could have been any one of us. We looked at all the applicable law and there is no crime that can be charged and proven beyond a reasonable doubt."
