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Posted on Mon, Aug 3, 2009 : 6:20 p.m.

Neighbor of Eastern Michigan football player says he found bullet on his apartment floor

By Lee Higgins

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A 57-year-old man found a bullet on a dirty shirt in his apartment after police say a gun went off from inside the apartment of an Eastern Michigan University football player.

The man, who lives in a neighboring apartment, woke at about 3 a.m. Sunday when he heard a loud bang, so he hit the floor, he said, assuming it was a gunshot.

Junior defensive back Derrick Hunter, 21, and a 23-year-old male resident of the apartment are under investigation after Ypsilanti police say a gun went off Sunday in their Washtenaw Avenue apartment, where police also found drugs. Police are seeking charges against them.

The man who found the bullet requested anonymity, saying he fears for his safety.

"I got up to check my body to see if I had been shot, to tell the truth," he said this afternoon.

The man didn't find any damage to his apartment so he went back to sleep.

When he was cleaning his apartment Sunday night, he found a bullet hole in the wall about 2 feet from where his feet had been when he was sleeping, he said.

The bullet traveled through the wall, a shoe box and a clothing bag, landing in a dirty shirt on the floor, he said.

"When I picked the shirt up, that's when the bullet fell out," he said. The man called police after finding the bullet about 8:45 p.m.

Investigators found narcotics and other items in “plain view,” a police incident log said.

As officers waited to obtain a search warrant, Hunter returned home, telling them that “a female that he met at a party was playing with a firearm,” according to the log.

Hunter said she “caused it to fire a single round into the bed and through the wall,” the log said.

The neighbor said he's not happy with that explanation.

"I can't accept that," he said. "If you're a gun owner, you have to take responsibility."

Lee Higgins covers police and courts for AnnArbor.com. You can reach him by phone at (734) 623-2527 or email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.

Comments

Merkava

Wed, Aug 5, 2009 : 12:03 p.m.

"Doesn't the location violate the restriction of a school proximity? Mishandling a handgun by accident? I think not, since the law requires a trigger lock." No offense meant, but you need to study up on your firearms laws. You are wrong on all of this. There is no "school proximity law". You are confusing this will pistol free zones, which pretty much only apply to those with Concealed Pistol Licenses. Holders of said license may not carry a pistol onto school property, a classroom, day care property, bar/tavern, sporting event, church/synagogue, etc. You're also confusing the law that all guns must be sold with a trigger lock or cable lock to mean that all guns must be stored with such a device. This is not true. Locks must be used while legally transporting a firearm, while selling a firearm, but there is no law for storage. Even though there is no law for storage, everyone I know uses safes anyway. Safes are much better than trigger locks as they reduce theft as well as unauthorized access.

BlueNever!

Tue, Aug 4, 2009 : 3:18 p.m.

The ballistic path describes a hand gun. Doesn't the location violate the restriction of a school proximity? Mishandling a handgun by accident? I think not, since the law requires a trigger lock. It sound more like a felony use of a firearm. The neighbor was certainly lucky. Hope the shooters get to trade their apartment for one in the Correctional Institution, soon.

Merkava

Tue, Aug 4, 2009 : 1:46 p.m.

There is never an excuse for a negligent discharge or not securing firearms from unauthorized access. Its a miracle nobody was hurt. I'm not sure i believe the excuse either, and even if i did, blaming "a female" shouldn't excuse anything. I know a some females who are probably more responsible, knowledgeable and skilled when it comes to firearms than he'll ever be. I hope he gets prosecuted and coach English boots him from the team. personally.