A Highland Township man has been charged with first-degree murder over the shooting death ofhis fiancée in what Oakland County prosecutors are calling a “domestic violence tragedy.”
Michael Devon Webb, 21, allegedly killed 23-year-old Rachel Renee Wooten, whom he was engaged to and shared a 6-month-old child with. The infant was found inside the home unharmed after the incident.
Wooten was Shot in the Neck at ‘Very Close Range,’ Webb Had Sustained Non-Fatal Gunshot Wound from the Same Bullet
As reported by MLive.com, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a call on April 15 from Webb saying he accidentally shot himself and Wooten while cleaning his gun at their residence in the 200 block of Maple in Highland Township.
When deputies arrived on the scene, prosecutors say they found both Webb and Wooten in the home. Wooten had been shot in the neck at “very close range,” and was pronounced dead at the scene.
However, the sheriff’s office says evidence does not support that claim. Webb had sustained a non-fatal gunshot wound, which the prosecutor’s office says appears to be from the same bullet that killed Wooten.
‘A Domestic Violence Tragedy’
“Rachel Wooten was just 23 and a mother of an infant,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said. “Her entire life was ahead of her, until it was ended in what appears to be a domestic violence tragedy. She won’t be there for her child or other loved ones in her life. I’m committed to bringing her killer to justice.”
“I am proud of our investigators and team that responded to a tragic death and unraveled a false offered narrative to hold an individual accountable,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement.
Webb was arrested and is currently being held without bond in the Oakland County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and felony firearm.
