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Clemons
SOUTHFIELD — The preliminary examination for 21-year-old West Bloomfield resident Jeremiah Clemons started June 9 at the 46th District Court in Southfield.
Clemons has been accused of nonfatally shooting a 47-year-old man on May 3 at an Exxon Gas Station located at 20705 Southfield Road.
Before the examination started, a request to adjourn was made as two potential witnesses were not successfully subpoenaed, and the 911 call transcript had yet to be received. Additionally, a thumb drive containing images had not yet been given to Clemons’ attorney, Bradley Friedman.
However, Judge Sheila Johnson moved to continue the preliminary exam as two witnesses were present at court, and the aforementioned items could be done while waiting for the next hearing.
Southfield Police Department detectives Avraham Goldstein and Dylen Hayes were called to the witness stand for the first day of the preliminary examination. Both were questioned by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Courtney Rosenau and Frieman on the investigation of the nonfatal shooting.
Friedman said the defense is advocating this incident as a case of self-defense.
“We’re confident that when testimony comes out, (Clemons) is going to be exonerated,” he said. “This is self-defense. He and his friends were scared for their lives.”
The Southfield Sun reached out to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for comment.
“We are pursuing accountability for this defendant and justice for the victim in this case,” said Jeff Wattrick, public information officer for the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
Allegedly, Clemons had been on his way to a basketball game with two friends when they stopped at the Exxon gas station on May 3. The police investigation found that Clemons allegedly engaged in a verbal argument with the 47-year-old man inside the gas station on May 3. The argument moved outside to the pumps, where the 47-year-old man approached Clemons. Allegedly, Clemons produced a handgun and shot four times, striking the 47-year-old man twice.
A search warrant conducted on May 5 of Clemons’ residence found parts of a handgun and ammunition. Investigators reportedly found that after the incident at Exxon, Clemons allegedly disabled and disassembled the handgun and buried its components, which were then located by officers in a vacant lot in the 19000 block of Dresden Street, near Seven Mile Road and Hoover Street in Detroit.
The lower frame of the handgun has not been located. Hayes, the detective who interviewed Clemons, said during his testimony that Clemons stated during his interview that this piece of the handgun was given to a homeless man. The handgun was not registered to Clemons.
More witnesses are expected to appear in the continuation of the hearing.
Clemons is currently charged with one count of assault with intent to murder, one count of weapons felony firearm and one count of carrying a concealed weapon. He has no prior convictions.
The continuation of the preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 24 in Judge Sheila Johnson’s courtroom in the 46th District Court.
