Brandon Twp.- Daniel Austin Hunt, an 18-year-old senior at Brandon High School, was arraigned Dec. 2 in 52-2 District Court on six charges in the Nov. 12 drive-by shootings on Granger Road.
Oakland County Sheriff’s detectives arrested Hunt Dec. 1 after receiving a tip. A .22 caliber gun in Hunt’s home matched the gun used in the shootings and during police interviews, Hunt confessed to shooting at two homes on Granger Road just east of his residence.
‘It’s a relief,? said Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Brandon Substation Sgt. Tim McIsaac. ‘We didn’t want someone out there taking potshots at our citizens and we feel he was taking shots at us, too.?
It was about 7:48 p.m., Nov. 12 when police were called out to one of the home in the 3100 block of Granger. A woman at the residence had been sitting at a computer in the home’s den when two bullets penetrated the home. One of the bullets missed her by about 18 inches. She ran upstairs to her husband, who was preparing their two young sons for a shower, yelling their house was being fired upon. The pair went downstairs to check for damage when they heard two more shots and a lightbulb exploded in the foyer. They called 911.
While police were investigating that shooting, their next door neighbor returned home to find that a beveled window next to her front door had been shattered by bullets. She left the home, found the police patrolling the road and informed them of what happened.
At about 10:30 p.m., as police were finishing up their investigation at the first home and a deputy with a K-9 was conducting a track outside, the next door home was fired upon again, with the homeowner inside with her daughter, the daughter’s boyfriend, a cousin and friend.
A total of 15 patrol cars and numerous deputies responded to the scene, including Special Response Team members. An aviation unit also responded with negative results. Shell casings from a .22 caliber gun were found on Granger Road in front of the home, which had been shot at 16 times, with 13 bullets penetrating the interior.
The homeowners who originally called 911 had seven shots fired at their home, with six penetrating.
Hunt does not know his neighbors, says McIsaac. Hunt did tell the police he was intoxicated at the time of the shootings.
Hunt has been charged with one count of felonious assault, a four-year felony, and one count of felony firearm, a two-year felony in relation to the shooting at the home in the 3100 block of Granger Road and three counts of discharge of firearm at a residence, a four-year felony and one-count of felony firearm, at the home in the 3000 block of Granger.
McIsaac said he would have liked to have seen more severe charges, but prosecutors decide what to charge based on what they can believe they can get a conviction on with current laws.
‘He missed a person by 18 inches and he could have killed her,? McIsaac said. ‘He deserves more than four years in jail. Whether or not he knew, the result would have been the same.?
McIsaac notes that to charge with attempted murder, it must be proven that Hunt knew what he was shooting at.
‘If lights are on in a house and cars are in the driveway, you have to know there’s a chance you could hit someone,? McIsaac said. He adds that the victims are very upset the charges aren’t more severe, but the legislation needs to change.
The maximum sentence Hunt could serve is six years, but McIsaac says that is unlikely because Hunt had no previous criminal record. He was, in fact, an ‘A? student at BHS.
He will also be responsible for $25,000 in property damage to both homes.
Hunt was given a $100,000 cash bond following his arraignment and lodged at the Oakland County Jail. A preliminary exam is set for 10 a.m., Dec. 16, at 52-2 District Court in front of Judge Kelley Kostin.