WYOMING, Mich. — A man with an extensive criminal history has been charged in a deadly shooting that occurred outside a home in Wyoming shortly before Christmas.
Louis Lee Pettway, Jr., 45, faces four felony charges, including open murder.
Pettway is accused of shooting 33-year-old Jimmie Harrell outside a home on Arnold Avenue near Burton Street SW. Harrell died a few days after the Dec. 22 shooting. According to his obituary, Harrell was the father of two daughters and worked as a machine operator in the Grand Rapids area.
“During his final months, he was walking so close with God, closer than ever before,’’ his obituary reads. Harrell “absolutely adored his daughters and cherished every moment he spent with them.’’
According to court records, the two men argued inside a home on Arnold Avenue before moving the dispute outside. The argument continued outside, where witnesses heard gunshots.
Harrell was rushed to the hospital following the 10:30 p.m. shooting. His accused assailant was arrested about nine hours later in Grandville.
Shells and bullet fragments were recovered at the scene, according to court records. “Information led to the recovery of the matching handgun at a separate address,’’ a detective wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
Investigators were able to place Pettway at the home where the shooting occurred at the date and time it happened, court records show. Police were also able to place him at the home where the firearm was recovered.
A preliminary examination for Pettway got underway Wednesday afternoon in Wyoming District Court. It is scheduled to resume in March to determine if there is sufficient evidence to move the case to Kent County Circuit Court.
In addition to open murder, Pettway faces two weapons offenses and a habitual offender charge. Pettway has felony convictions dating back to 1995. He remains in the Kent County Jail without bond.
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