Local man charged with murder following shooting at Southfield apartment complex

SOUTHFIELD — At 10:15 a.m. Feb. 9, Southfield Police Department officers were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 25000 block of Shiawassee Street after receiving a 911 call that reported there was an unresponsive woman laying face down in the snow.

The caller told dispatchers that a woman had been shot, and a complexioned man ran from the scene and got into a bluish-gray vehicle before driving away. It was later determined that the 2021 Chevrolet Equinox belonged to the victim, who was identified as Jamal Broom, a 29-year-old transgender sex worker from Cleveland, Ohio, who was known as Tahiry.

The vehicle was found just 400 feet away from the crime scene at the apartment complex where the suspect, 28-year-old Southfield resident Robert Louis Ridges III, lived.

Upon searching Ridge’s residence, Southfield police recovered a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun and ammunition from the suspect’s bedroom. The handgun was reported stolen out of Georgia in 2023. A test fire of the gun revealed it was the same weapon that fired the fatal gunshot to Broom’s head.

Southfield Police Department Chief Elvin Barren shared details at a press conference at the Southfield Police Department Feb. 12.

“I always consider myself a promise keeper, and I want to make sure I keep a promise to Mrs. Broom. When you look at Jamal, Jamal is a biological male, but does present as a female, and is a proud member of the transgender community,” Barren said. “And one thing I told Mrs. Broom was that in my remarks, her daughter would be referred to by the appropriate pronouns, ‘she’ and ‘her.’  But my commitment to Mrs. Broom was that the fact that Jamal was a sex worker would not be the focus of the sequence of events, because no matter what line of work Jamal was in, this shouldn’t have happened.”

According to Barren, Ridges was in police custody just 11 hours after the violent crime after the Southfield Tactical Crime Suppression Unit and the FBI’s Violent Gang Task Force identified his location.

Ridges was located at a  casino in Detroit when Southfield Police Department officers apprehended him.

“We believe that he was attempting to blend back into society after committing such a heinous crime.,” Barren said.

After being interviewed by detectives from the Southfield Police Department, Ridges stated that he acted alone and made claims that he did not know that Broom was transgender. Barren said that claim is unlikely, as Ridges had made approximately 33 phone calls to various sex workers.

“Mostly, all the persons the suspect sought out were Black females, which included members of the transgender community,” Barren said.

Ridges Facetimed Broom for three minutes at 9:06 a.m., before calling five more commercial sex advertisers.

At 9:16 a.m., Broom missed a call from Ridges.

She returned his call and they had a brief conversation before video footage at the apartment complex showed Broom entering the building at 10 a.m.

“At 10 a.m., the suspect received a phone call from our victim, and that would be the last phone call that our victim would make,” Barren said.

Barren said that Broom’s mother described her daughter as energetic, intelligent, and a joy to her family.

“One thing I will assure you is that Jamal was loved by not only the mother, but the entire family,” Barren said.

Ridges, who does not have a criminal history, was charged Feb. 12 by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald .

Ridges was charged with second-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon, and felony firearm.

He was placed in the Oakland County Jail without bond.

“Every person is entitled to live without fear of violence,” McDonald stated via a press release. “Tahiry Broom had family and friends who loved her. She did not deserve to die and her killer will be brought to justice.”

According to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life without parole.

Ridge’s next court date is Feb. 26. At press time, Ridge’s lawyer, Victor Mansour, had not replied to an opportunity to comment.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Southfield Police Department at (248)796-5500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) SPEAK-UP.