FeedsWestland shooting suspects arraigned
Four men are facing life in prison for their role in a drug-related shooting that took place in Westland on Tuesday.
Magistrate Donald Vandersloot of the 18th District Court in Westland presided over the arraignments for 49-year-old Joseph George Boldizar of Garden City, 29-year-old Demond Nigel Sanders of Detroit, and 32-year-old Roberto Debert Reed of Detroit on charges including assault with intent to commit armed robbery and conspiracy. Benjamin Bernard Pringle, 32, of Detroit was arraigned on similar charges later the same day.
Pringle, Boldizar, Reed, and Sanders have each been charged with assault with intent to rob while armed, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, delivery of 1000 or more grams of cocaine, possession of 1000 grams or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to possess 1000 or more grams of cocaine. Each of those charges is a felony punishable by up to life in prison if convicted. Sanders received a habitual offender third offense notice and Reed a habitual offender fourth offense notice, which would enhance the severity of their sentence if they were convicted.
Sgt. Michael Harhold of the Westland Police Department told the court that at about 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 12, officers with the Romulus Police Department were conducting a reverse narcotics buy in the parking lot of a grocery store on the corner of Warren and Merriman roads. During the buy a confidential informant was supposed to make a “controlled delivery” of 3 kilograms of cocaine to a buyer in return for $60,000, he said.
Sanders, Boldizar, and 28-year-old Brian Lamar Thomas of Detroit allegedly pulled up to the pre-arranged meeting point—at the Merri-Warren shopping plaza in Westland—in a green Chevrolet Lumina. Police said Sanders waited in the car while Thomas and Boldizar entered the informant’s vehicle to complete the transaction. Meanwhile, a black Buick Rendezvous pulled in, allegedly with Reed in the driver’s seat and Pringle of Detroit as passenger. According to Karrick, Pringle left the vehicle and went over to the informant’s vehicle, where he put a TEC-9 gun in the informant’s face.
“There was no money at the scene,” said Lt. Dan Karrick of the Westland Police Department. “This was set up to be a robbery from the get-go.”
The informant attempted to deflect the gun and was allegedly shot at by both Pringle and Thomas, who had a smaller weapon. The informant only received a minor injury—a burn to his hand—in the incident. Nine uniformed Romulus police officers, who had been monitoring the scene from inside two vans parked nearby, exited the vehicles to take command of the situation. Karrick said that as Pringle and Thomas left the informant’s vehicle, they began firing their weapons at the Romulus officers who then returned fire.
Thomas died at the scene from four gunshot wounds in the lower extremities, Karrick said. Pringle, who received one gunshot wound to the chest, was in stable condition at an area hospital as of Friday.
In addition to the counts they have in common, Pringle was also charged with four counts of assault with intent to murder, three counts of felonious assault, felon in possession of a firearm, and felony firearm on Friday afternoon. He also received a habitual offender second offense notice
“I think this case speaks for itself,” said Harhold. He called the defendants a danger to the public. “The police department believes it should be an extraordinarily high bond.”
However, Boldizar asked the magistrate to take his background under consideration.
“My record is clean,” said Boldizar. “I’ve never done nothing like this before.”
Vandersloot ultimately set the bond for each of the men at $1 million cash or surety. The defendants will return to the 18th District Court for preliminary hearing on Aug. 28.
