Daily Briefs

 Prosecutors begin review in shooting 

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — Michigan prosecutors say they’ve launched a review to decide whether to charge a suburban Detroit homeowner in the shooting death of a 19-year-old woman on his porch.

Wayne County prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Maria Miller said Monday a warrant review process is underway as they await information from Dearborn Heights police. No arrests have been made related to the Nov. 2 death of Renisha McBride, who was shot in the face.
 
The case prompted calls for justice from civil rights groups. The 54-year-old homeowner hasn’t been named but told investigators he thought someone was trying to break into his home and he accidentally discharged his shotgun.

Family members of McBride, an African-American, say she likely was seeking help after a car accident.
 
 

Detroit suburb plans to sell guns via auction 

 
CENTER LINE, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit suburb and its police department plan to sell more than five dozen firearms to the public via online auction, raising questions about whether that's the best way to dispose of the weapons.
 
Center Line long has conducted public auctions of used office equipment, government vehicles, bicycles and other forfeited or unclaimed property, but left pistols, rifles and shotguns in storage, The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reports.

Under a plan approved by City Council with auction business Repocast.com, Center Line’s public safety department plans to sell the weapons. About 40 handguns and 26 long guns have accumulated for at least 10 years, including some formerly used by public safety officers.

Councilman Ronald Lapham, a retired police officer, said he disagrees with the planned sale.

“I don’t feel like this is the right way to get rid of guns. I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if we sold a gun to somebody and the person killed somebody,” said Lapham, who worked in the public safety department from 1968-78 and later at the Macomb County sheriff’s department.

Four City Council members backed the agreement, including a retired deputy director of public safety for the 8,200-resident city. The city’s current Public Safety Director Paul Myszenski said the plans are proper and the city is expected to earn money from the sales.

“This is going to be a win right out of the gate,” Myszenski said. “If there was any chance of anything that didn’t appear right at all in the least bit, we wouldn’t even dream of doing this.”

Center Line officials said previous annual auctions at City Hall made little or no profit once the cost of city employee wages, sometimes at overtime rates, to prepare and conduct the auctions were included. The agreement for the online sale has little cost for the city.

Repocast is part of Byron Center-based Miedema Asset Management Group.

The sale of firearms is handled through a sister business SSL Corporate, which holds a federal firearms license, said Andrew Hill, account executive at Repocast. 

The auction business plans to charge $2.50 for each group of items, such as phones, as well as advertising costs. Repocast will get a commission of 8 percent for any lot that sells for more than $1,000 and 15 percent for items with a winning bid of less than $1,000.

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