Detroit Man Facing Attempted Murder Charge After Shooting Autistic Teen Who Was Lost

DETROIT — A man has been charged in connection with a shooting that injured an autistic teen who was lost in Detroit last week, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.

The 18-year-old man was shot in the lower back and taken to a nearby hospital, where he is expected to survive, officials said.

Robert Leguan Pugh, 47, of Detroit, was charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent and three counts of felony firearm.

Officials said the teen, who has autism, was mistakenly dropped off in the area of Lenox Street and East Warren Avenue in Detroit on April 9.

The teen was trying to get to his home in River Rouge using an Uber, but the wrong address was somehow put into the app, officials said.

The teen then took a photo of a house on Lenox Street to send to a relative, so his family would be able to find him, officials said.

That's when Pugh confronted him and fired multiple shots at the teen when he began to walk away, officials said.

The teen was struck in the lower back and taken to a nearby hospital, officials said.

Officials did not provide an update on the teen's injuries, but he was initially listed in critical condition.

Pugh turned himself in to Detroit's Fifth Precinct on Tuesday, officials said.

"It is hard for me to fathom the utter lack of compassion and empathy in some people. The alleged facts in this case are disturbing and completely devoid of humaneness," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.