In September, The Root reported that activist group Detroit Will Breathe organized a protest on behalf of Eddie and Candace Hall and their children after the family was victimized by a string of racially motivated attacks on their home and vehicle. On Tuesday, a suspect was arrested in connection to those attacks.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the suspect hadn’t been identified at the time his arrest was announced, but Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said that “he was brought in and he did confess to the hate crimes that he committed at the victims’ home.” Those crimes include firing gunshots into the family’s home and slashing the tires on their truck which was also vandalized with offensive graffiti that read “terrorist Black Lives Matter” and “not welcome” accompanied by a swastika. Police previously said they believed the attacks were motivated by a “Black Lives Matter” sign the family keeps in the window of their home.
During a Wednesday press conference, the man was identified as 24-year-old Michael Frederick Jr., according to the Associated Press. During a virtual arraignment hearing Thursday, Frederick was instructed by Judge Michael Chupa not to discuss details of his case, but he was allowed to give the Halls a weak-ass apology where he tried to distance himself from his own racism.
“I’m extremely regretful of what I did,” Frederick said, AP reports. “I can say it’s not like me. I acted way out of character. This wasn’t about the color of anyone’s skin.”
Chupa said during the hearing that it is of “great concern to me if, in fact, these things do bear out to be true.”
“People should be able to reasonably disagree about politics without it resorting to violence,” He continued. “Using violence, whether motivated by race or politics or hatred or acrimony — I don’t care, that is not what America is about.”
According to the Free Press, Frederick is facing nine charges, including three counts of ethnic intimidation. Chupa remanded him to the Macomb County Jail on a $200,000 bond and said that if Frederick should post bond, he must wear a GPS tether, and he is to have no contact with the Halls or their property.
Despite Frederick’s confession and sorry-ass apology, he pleaded not guilty and requested a court-appointed attorney to represent him.
Here’s a little on how Frederick was caught as reported by the Free Press:
Police received a tip that Frederick was the culprit. They conducted a search warrant at his home Tuesday, and Frederick was arrested. The detective said police recovered clothing consistent with clothes worn by the suspect, who was caught on a neighbor’s surveillance video, including a mask and shoes.
He told the court the gun used in the shootings is believed to belong to the ex-girlfriend of Frederick’s father. The detective said Frederick’s father told investigators that he disassembled the pistol used in the shootings and claimed to have discarded the pistol.
On Wednesday, Candace Hall told reporters her family has “lived in constant fear and couldn’t sleep at their home,” the Free Press reports. She also said she would pray for Frederick and his family and that she feels sorry for his parents.
“Hate brings no good to anyone,” she said.