Pubdate: Fri, 26 Jan 2007
Source: Ann Arbor News (MI)
Copyright: 2007 The Ann Arbor News
Contact:  http://www.mlive.com/aanews/index.ssf
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/20
Author: Susan L. Oppat, News Staff Reporter

LAWYER: MAN WHO WAS SLAIN UNARMED

Man Arrested at Fatal Police Shooting Also Not Armed, He Says

The attorney for a man arrested at the scene of a fatal police shooting in
Ypsilanti Township Tuesday night said Thursday that neither his client nor
the man who was killed were carrying weapons.

That contention was one of a few new details to emerge Thursday about
the incident, which police said involved undercover agents attempting
a drug buy.

David A. Ware, 29, of Ypsilanti died after he was shot several times
by police, according to a brief account of the incident that police
released Wednesday.

Another man at the scene, Maurice T. Moore, 25, of Ypsilanti Township
was charged Thursday with the attempted murder of a Washtenaw County
Sheriff's detective, and held on $500,000 cash bond. Moore was also
charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm with intent
to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of cocaine with
intent to deliver, and conspiracy to deliver cocaine.

According to the charges, Moore tried to run over Sheriff's Detective
Samuel Wallace Tuesday night in the parking lot of a party store in
Ypsilanti, after Ware, a relative, sold cocaine to an undercover agent
from LAWNET, the Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team.

Moore's attorney, Thomas O. Moors, said Thursday that "it is my
understanding that neither Mr. Moore nor (Ware) had weapons."

After reading police reports from the Washtenaw County prosecutor,
Moors said he does not believe the state will be able to prove Moore
was trying to kill Wallace when he drove in Wallace's direction.
"There is a distinct possibility that Mr. Moore's conduct was all
motivated by a desire to defend himself from a very volatile
situation," Moors said.

"There seems to be very little evidence that the vehicle he drove
moved very far," Moors said.

Wallace was not injured.

Moore suffered a minor injury when he was struck by a rolling police
vehicle during the incident.

Moors told Magistrate Camille T. Horne that Moore had no felony
record, but Horne told the attorney Moore had a prior drug felony and
several misdemeanors on his record.

Moore's preliminary exam was set for Thursday. If convicted of assault
with intent to murder, he faces up to life in prison.

According to the account of the incident released by police Wednesday,
something went wrong after the drug sale, and Ware ended up running
from police. He was shot to death by a LAWNET detective a block away
from the scene of the drug buy. Police have refused to release the
name or department of the officer who killed Ware, or any other
details of the incident, including autopsy results.

Moors said before his client's hearing Wednesday that Moore told him
that he picked up Ware and was just sitting in the vehicle when "all
hell broke loose for no immediately apparent reason."
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