Recap: 911 Call Of Black Teen Shot At In Rochester Hills

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — The jury begins deliberating today on the case against the Rochester Hills man who fired a shotgun at a black teen who was lost and looking for directions at his doorstep this spring.

Jeffrey Zeigler, 53, a former Detroit firefighter, faces possible life in prison for shooting at 14-year-old Brennan Walker April 12 outside their home in the 2200 block of South Christian Hills Drive.

Much of the argument centered on Zeigler’s wife, who screamed when she saw Walker at her doorstep.

“He acted on impulse without thinking of his actions,” Zeigler’s lawyer said in the closing arguments Friday.

The frantic 911 call was played and revealed the wife crying and saying “a black man” was trying to break into her home in a panic. She was breathy in the call and noticeably emotional.

“I asked him what he was doing here and he said he was going to school,” Ziegler's wife said to the dispatcher during the call.

She identified him as a teen, but said there was no school nearby when asked by the dispatcher.

The defense attorney said the woman didn’t expect anyone and had several previous break-ins at their home, prompting Zeigler to respond “emotionally.”

“There was no intent to kill here. There was an intent to scare here,” the defense attorney said.

This week in deliberation the surveillance footage showed a calm teen at the door who suddenly ran away, followed by Zeigler who took aim and fired a shot.

Rochester Hills Michigan 6 months ago.

The surveillance footage was just released.

14 y/o Black Teen misses the bus to school & figures he knew the route well enough to walk the 4-mile route. He gets lost, stops to ask for directions, & nearly loses his life.

WHY WE KNEEL! pic.twitter.com/k3cnL3kO6u
— StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) October 11, 2018

“For 24 years he saved lives, he didn’t take them,” the attorney argued about the former firefighter. “He was trying to protect his wife.”

Zeigler is charged with assault with intent to murder.

The prosecuting attorney argued that his intent was to harm Walker, despite the missed shot. She also said the prior breaking and entering stories should not elicit sympathy in the decision making of the jury.

“They in no way to justify the defendant thinking ‘I’m going to take care of this, I’m going to shoot,” she said. “Brennan Walker was his prey that day.”

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