video of white man shooting at black teen surfaces

Back in April, we reported on the terrifying experience of Michigan high school student Brennan Walker who was shot at after knocking on the door of a residence looking for directions. On Tuesday, footage of the incident was released to the public.

Walker, who was only 14 years old at the time, missed his school bus and attempted to walk to school. Lost, he stopped for directions at a house marked “Neighborhood Watch” for help, and was greeted by a white woman who shouted and accused him of trying to break into her home. “Then the guy came downstairs, and he grabbed the gun,” describes Walker. “I saw it and started to run. And that’s when I heard the gunshot.”

Walker was able to run away from the man and hide nearby, crying until authorities arrived.

“My mom says that, Black boys get shot because sometimes they don’t look their age, and I don’t look my age. I’m 14; but I don’t look 14. I’m kind of happy that, like, I didn’t become a statistic.”

Oakland County Sheriff Deputies arrested Jeffrey Zeigler, a retired firefighter, upon arrival and he has since been charged with assault with intent to murder, a sentence that could lead to life in prison. Throughout the ordeal, Ziegler claimed to have accidentally fired the shotgun after slipping, but Oakland County police have released footage this week that clearly shows Zeigler aiming and firing at the boy.

The Zieglers claim their extreme reaction to Walker was the result of several break-ins at their home. “Mr. Zeigler acted from passion instead of judgment,” his attorney Rob Morad said, claiming this wasn’t about race.

Right…

Soon after the incident, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said , “It is just absurd that this happened. I feel terrible for the young man; I feel terrible for the mom and the anxiety that they had to go through.