Update (June 11, 2021): The man accused of shooting a Black 6-year-old boy in the arm is back in custody with an increased bond. The father of Coby Daniel was outraged when Ryan Le-Nguyen was released from jail on a $10,000 bond after allegedly shooting his son in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.
Coby was picking his bike up from Le-Nguyen's front yard when he said he was threatened by the man and shot in the arm, as Blavity previously reported.
Ryan Le-Nguyen was charged with assault with intent to murder after shooting a 6 year old little black boy who is his neighbor.
Le-Nguyen's lawyer argued he had no intent to harm anyone, and the judge let him out the same day on $10k bond. https://t.co/Q8ZB5AGECF
pic.twitter.com/oafXKJHz88— chris evans (@chris_notcapn) June 10, 2021
The 29-year-old was taken back into custody on Thursday and his bond was raised to $100,000 after the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office filed an emergency motion, Revolt reported.
“The defendant is no longer free and is already back in custody,” the prosecutor’s office said.
The community was outraged when they learned the man was out on bond. But Washtenaw County prosecuting attorney Eli Savit said he was "glad the defendant is back in custody," USA Today reported.
“We share in the community’s pain and anger from a child being shot. And we know that, for many, the pain and anger is compounded by the fact that the defendant was able to make his bond as set by the court,” Savit said on Wednesday, according to Revolt.
Coby was shot while he was with his siblings, and Savit said had the bullet hit "a couple of inches over" the young boy "would be dead."
A nearby Ring doorbell caught the incident where Le-Nguyen also tried to hit Coby with a sledgehammer, but according to the young boy, he was "too fast."
Le-Nguyen has been charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do bodily harm and two firearm charges. A probable cause meeting for the case has been set for July 22.
Original (June 9, 2021): A man who is accused of shooting a 6-year-old Michigan boy in the arm over a bike has been released on a $10,000 bond.
Coby Daniel, 6, was out riding his bike with his siblings when they stopped and left one of the bikes in front of a neighbor’s home, according to the Independent. As Coby went to get his bike from the man’s yard, the neighbor, identified as Ryan Le-Nguyen, came out of his home allegedly wielding a sledgehammer. The 6-year-old and the man exchanged words before Le-Nguyen went back inside his home.
The boy’s father, Arnold Daniel, said the man then shot his son in the arm from the front window of his house in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
“He tried hitting me with a sledgehammer but that’s not going to work because I’m too fast. [Then he] got a gun and boom shot me right here,” the 6-year-old told local news station Fox 2.
The 29-year-old neighbor was arrested by county sheriffs and charged with assault with intent to murder. Le-Nguyen was released on a $10,000 bond three days after the incident.
“I’m trying to figure out [how] he got a bond so low for trying to kill my kid,” the father said.
According to Fox 2, the prosecutor's office was also shocked by the low bond amount and requested an emergency motion to raise the bond to $100,000.
“In this particular case, our recommendations differed from the bond decision that was eventually made by the court,” county prosecutor Eli Savit said, per MLive. “We recommended significantly more stringent conditions on bond, which would have made it more difficult for this individual to be released. The court saw it a different way, and we disagree with that.”
In footage from a nearby home security camera, a resounding gunshot can be heard, causing Arnold’s children to scramble. Seconds later, the children realized that Coby has been struck by a bullet.
“He shot me,” a crying Coby pleads.
“He’s been shot!” an older child can be heard saying.
According to Fox 2, the bullet went through his arm and he was rushed to a hospital. Arnold shared that a doctor told him that Coby would have likely died if the bullet had veered off in either direction a bit.
Coby has since been released from the hospital and is considered to be in good condition.
“Right now, he’s not even processing what happened. He doesn’t realize how close he came to not being here… but I realize it,” Arnold said.
The neighbor was ordered by the court to not return to his home, but Arnold said he is worried about the safety of his family.
“I’m irate, really,” he said, according to Revolt TV. “I can’t function and I don’t know what to do… I’m scared for my family. I’m scared for them because I don’t know what he’s capable of.”
Previously, the Daniel family has had other issues with Le-Nguyen, including an incident where the man was caught trying to throw one of the children’s bikes away.