Rochester Hills Man Gets Prison For Shooting At Lost Teen

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — The Rochester Hills man who fired a shotgun at a black teen looking for help at his doorstep was sentenced Tuesday morning and will serve at least four years in prison.

Jeffrey Zeigler, 53, a former Detroit firefighter, shot at 14-year-old Brennan Walker April 12 outside his home in the 2200 block of South Christian Hills Drive after the boy missed the school bus.

Oakland County Circuit Judge Wendy Potts on Tuesday sentenced him to two to 10 years in prison plus two years for the felony firearm. He gets a credit of 35 days. He was also ordered to pay court fees and costs. Zeigler is not to have contact with Walker or the family.

Zeigler was charged with assault with intent to murder and felony firearms violations. In October, a jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.

At the sentencing, Zeigler's lawyer shared more about him, including his accolades of being "Firefighter of the Year," saving the lives of young children from burning buildings and suffering from PTSD from the deaths he's seen.

His lawyer said Ziegler was barely awake when the shooting incident happened and that he regrets it.

Brennan's mother Lisa Wright wrote a statement that was read by their attorney, saying "you attempted to kill my son, I have to live with that every day."

Wright also spoke up during the sentencing and said she didn't feel like Zeigler was remorseful.

"I tried to keep race out of it but we all pretty much know that's what it was," she said.

Wright said she sometimes wishes so were "(Ziegler's) color. Just so I could survive."

Zeigler did apologize for his actions during the sentencing: "I am deeply remorseful," he said.

Potts said firemen are held in high esteem, but that shooting at a teen has consequences. "Your actions weren't in conformity with those brave firefighters."

A look back at the trial

During the trial, much of the argument centered on Zeigler's wife, who screamed when she saw Walker at her doorstep.

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

"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 saying "a black man" was trying to break into her home in a panic.

"I asked him what he was doing here and he said he was going to school," she said to the dispatcher.

The woman identified him as a teen, but said there was no school nearby.

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.

"For 24 years he saved lives, he didn't take them," the attorney argued. "He was trying to protect his wife."

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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