By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
A 19-year-old Michigan man credited with fatally shooting a gunman at the Fairlane Town Canter in Dearborn was prosecuted for carrying an unlicensed handgun and this week was sentenced to two years of probation, and he will ultimate have to take a handgun safety class offered by the court.
According to WJBK-FOX 2 in Detroit, Martinez Long shot a man identified as Cameron Watkins, who had just a moment before fatally shot another man, identified as Keonte Seaborn. All were 19.
The incident occurred July 3. Long was armed without a carry permit. He was reportedly with another person, Cania Cain, of Detroit, as reported at the time by CBS News. Both were charged in connection with the incident. The gun Long used was reportedly carried by Cain in her purse.
Long, who is working on a GED, had no prior criminal record. According to WJBK, when Long completes his probation, his record will be expunged under terms of the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act.
During the hearing, the judge admonished Long for carrying a gun in the first place, and raised this question: “Why did you walk into the mall with a gun in the first place?”
The judge also observed, “Fortunately, you weren’t injured, but nonetheless, you had a gun there in the first place, which was poor judgment. And what do you need a gun for protection in a mall, in the first place?”
Long’s attorney responded on his behalf, due to potential civil litigation.
“He didn’t instigate the fight. He didn’t start the fight, and he did pull it out for protection of others,” she said. The judge recognized that Long acted in self-defense and protection of others.
In addition to taking a handgun safety class after completing probation, WJBK also reported Long “must complete cognitive behavioral therapy” and he must not possess any firearms or ammunition during his probationary period.
