Man convicted of assault for shooting at lost black teen

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – A white retired firefighter has been convicted of assault for shooting at a black teenager who came to his suburban Detroit home for directions.

Jeffrey Zeigler was charged with attempted murder, but Oakland County jurors on Friday convicted him of the lesser assault charge and a gun crime.

Fourteen-year-old Brennan Walker told police he missed a school bus on April 12 and knocked on Zeigler’s door in Rochester Hills after getting lost while walking. Brennan says he ran after seeing a man inside the house grab a gun. The teen heard a gunshot but wasn’t hurt.

Zeigler testified that he woke up to his wife’s screams. He says she believed that someone was trying to break into their home.

Home video showed the 53-year-old Zeigler raising a shotgun twice before firing toward Brennan.