In a Detroit courtroom, tragedy intersected with technology, as prosecutors revealed that a GPS tether, worn by one of the alleged gunmen, placed him at the scene of a drive-by shooting that ended the life of an 11-year-old girl. Nasir Garrett, charged with first-degree murder among other offenses, was mandated to face trial after the tether – a condition of his bond for a previous carjacking charge – betrayed his whereabouts during the fatal event, as reported by The Detroit News.
The victim, Lamara Glenn, was struck by bullets while sleeping on a couch at her Pennsylvania Street home. On February 20, the assailants unleashed a barrage of 23 shots into the residence, explains FOX 2 Detroit. The act was caught on chilling doorbell camera footage. District Judge Kenneth King did not mince words during the hearing, condemning the reckless act that claimed an innocent life and "gives our city a bad name." Garrett's lawyer contested the implications of the GPS evidence, but to no avail, as the judge held the tether's data as incriminating.
In a grim tally, over 100 bullet holes were found riddling the home, marking the second recent assault on the dwelling, as per officials. The Detroit Police Chief attributed the underlying cause to an ongoing feud between two factions, and a black Glock pistol was discovered at a residence where Garrett was later arrested, linking him to the brutality visited upon the Glenn household. A doorbell video did show the rapid succession of shots fired at the home and the subsequent commotion.
Furthermore, three other men associated with the incident, Tahkari Turner, 18, Hershel Marion Jr., 19, and Robert Turner, 20, waived their right to preliminary exams and will also take the trial. Hoodline notes that the city has been facing an unsettling spike in youth-related shootings, with this tragedy marking a poignant low in a series of nine such violent occurrences since the year's onset. The Detroit Police Department continues to investigate and urges anyone with information to step forward. The community grieves, with young Lamara's aunt lamenting to FOX 2 Detroit, "She was a baby. She didn’t deserve that. Her life is gone."
Garrett now potentially faces a life sentence, a stern reminder of the irreversible consequences lain at the feet of actions so hastily chosen and so permanent in their ruin.
