Oakland County Sheriff Says Orion Township Shooting Suspect Never Should Have Been Free
Authorities say the suspect accused in the Orion Township shooting and carjacking was already on probation for a previous violent offense at the time of the attack.
ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Oakland County Sheriff is raising concerns about repeat violent offenders being released back into the community after a man accused of shooting a woman and stealing her vehicle in Orion Township was allegedly already on probation for another violent crime.
Mauriel Dashawn Hearn, 25, of Ann Arbor, was arraigned Friday and ordered held without bond on eight felony charges, including carjacking and assault with intent to murder, following Tuesday’s shooting at Baldwin Commons Plaza in Orion Township.
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According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Hearn allegedly shot a woman in the hip while her 11 year old son watched before stealing her vehicle and leading police on a high speed chase reaching about 90 mph. He was arrested roughly 90 minutes later in Groveland Township after hiding in a wooded area, authorities said.
The victim remains hospitalized.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the incident never should have happened because Hearn was already on probation for a 2025 assault with intent to do great bodily harm conviction out of Washtenaw County.
“But this should never have happened,” Bouchard said in a statement released Friday.
The sheriff pointed specifically to decisions made within the criminal justice system that allowed Hearn to remain free despite a prior violent offense.
“Everyone rightfully demands accountability and transparency from law enforcement, but police officers are only one part of the criminal justice system,” Bouchard said. “Prosecutors and judges also make decisions that have very real consequences for public safety, and when those decisions repeatedly put violent offenders back on the street, the public deserves answers.”
The sheriff’s office also referenced another Washtenaw County case involving Orlando Whitfield, a homicide suspect who had been granted release on electronic tether before allegedly cutting it off and fleeing supervision. Whitfield was later identified as a person of interest in a separate Detroit double homicide investigation, according to the release.
Bouchard said cases involving probation, reduced pleas and no cash bond policies for violent offenders are creating growing public safety concerns.
“Public safety must come before ideology,” Bouchard said. “Protecting law abiding citizens from repeat violent offenders is a basic government responsibility.”
Hearn was arraigned in 52 3 District Court in Rochester Hills and remains jailed without bond pending further court proceedings.