Parks
By: Brian Wells, Maria Allard | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published March 13, 2023 | Updated March 17, 2023 4:51pm
ROSEVILLE — The second suspect in a shooting that occurred near two Roseville schools that sent a 40-year-old Warren resident to the hospital is facing an additional charge.
At approximately 3:10 p.m. March 6, Roseville police responded to the area of Barkman and Chestnut streets for a report of shots being fired near Roseville Middle School and Steenland Elementary School. When officers arrived, they found the Warren man suffering from gunshot wounds in the roadway, according to a press release from the Roseville Police Department.
A second press release, sent the day after the incident by Roseville police, states that the suspect, 13, had been expelled from Roseville Community Schools and was trespassing on school property, attempting to engage Roseville Middle School students in altercations while armed with a handgun.
The Warren man, who was reportedly picking up a student or students from school, saw the suspect’s behavior and attempted to intervene. The Warren man was shot twice as he got involved, according to the updated release. The man was reported to be in stable condition at a local hospital.
Police said that the 13-year-old fled on foot but was taken into custody without incident near Groveland and Chestnut streets after a foot chase. The suspect is facing six charges: assault with intent to murder, punishable by life in prison; assault with a dangerous weapon, a four-year felony; carrying a concealed weapon, a five-year felony; two counts of felony firearm, a two-year felony; and possessing a weapon in a weapon-free school zone, which is a 93-day misdemeanor.
The suspect, who remains lodged in the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center, had a preliminary hearing March 7 in front of Macomb County Circuit Court Chief Referee Linda Harrison. The juvenile’s next court date is scheduled for Wednesday, March 29, in front of Macomb County Circuit Court Referee Anthony Scotta.
On March 8, Roseville police named Deandre Demon Parks, a Roseville resident whom the Police Department and Prosecutor’s Office have identified as 19 years old but who the Macomb County Jail lists as 18 years old, as a suspect for allegedly being involved in supplying the suspect with the firearm. Parks was out on bond for a felony weapons charge and has had numerous contacts with Roseville police, according to a press release.
Parks was facing charges of carrying a concealed weapon and receiving and concealing a stolen firearm for the previous case. After an investigation, he was being charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a five-year felony, in connection with the March 6 shooting. He was arraigned March 7 in front of 39th District Court Judge Alyia Hakim, who released him on a personal bond.
While Parks was already out on bond for his previous charges, Roseville Deputy Police Chief Mitch Berlin said he was likely released on the new charge because they are separate cases. However, he deferred to Parks’ attorney, David Sinutko, for more information. Sinutko declined to comment.
On March 10, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office added the charge of possession of a firearm in a school zone, a five-year felony. Parks was again arraigned in front of Hakim in the 39th District Court. The Prosecutor’s Office requested a $50,000 cash or surety bond, no 10%, a steel cuff tether and a mental health assessment; the judge set his bond at $10,000 cash or surety and allowed for a 10% bond, denied the request for a mental health assessment, and ordered a GPS tether if Parks were to be released.
On March 9, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido announced a two-step plan to address gun crimes, which involved a mental health evaluation.
“As a condition of bond in assaultive felony gun cases, assistant prosecutors will ask judges to check the box to request an assessment and recommendations by the Macomb County Community Corrections Department to help determine if defendants pose a potential risk to the community,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release dated March 9.
According to court records, Parks posted bond and was released from the Macomb County Jail with a tether. A probable cause conference and preliminary exam that were scheduled for March 15 and 22 were rescheduled for April 19 and 26.
Roseville Community Schools responds to the shooting
“They had the suspect within minutes,” Roseville Community Schools Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski said.
As a safety precaution, the middle school and Steenland, both located in the vicinity of the shooting, went into the district’s shelter-in-place procedure when the shooting occurred. With a shelter-in-place, students take refuge in designated areas.
“Nobody could come into the buildings, and nobody could leave,” Blaszkowski said.
The middle school students had already been dismissed for the day. Steenland students, however, still had 10 minutes left of the school day with parents waiting outside to get their children. They had to wait until the shelter-in-place was over.
“We know it was inconvenient,” Blaszkowski said, adding that while a few parents complained, the majority were OK with the wait.
The shelter-in-place lasted for about 45 minutes to one hour. The superintendent said that, even though the middle school students had already been dismissed, the shelter-in-place was directed because of after-school activities and also for staff who were still in the building.
“The plans we have in place work to keep our kids safe. We waited for the police to give us the all-clear,” Blaszkowski said. “Some of the kids knew there was something going on because they saw all the police cars. Teachers tried to keep them as calm as possible.”
Students were not in school the day after the shooting, March 7, because of an already-scheduled professional development day.
“It was very, very emotional for our staff,” Blaszkowski said. “The professional development day gave us a chance to talk with staff.”
The accused shooter had been a student in Roseville Community Schools for two months but was no longer attending school in the district. The student who allegedly provided the gun is a current RCS student. Blaszkowski said he was released from custody March 14 and will go before the Board of Education for an expulsion hearing at a time that was yet to be determined at press time.
“Any student in Michigan possessing a firearm must be brought to an expulsion hearing,” Blaszkowski said. “We’ll be taking care of that.”