According to police, a 15-year-old boy shot and killed a well-known Michigan Democrat on Sunday after he gave him a dollar.
The Lansing State Journal stated on Monday that Theodore “Ted” Lawson was the victim and that the shooter was Lamar Patrick Kemp. Lawson was killed while door-to-door canvassing for a Lansing city council candidate, according to the source.
According to the Journal, Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane announced to the media that given the seriousness of the offense, he was charging the adolescent as an adult.
Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane confirmed Lansing police have a 15-year-old boy in custody. The Lansing teen will be charged as an adult with open murder in the shooting death. https://t.co/knZBGS98N5
— CBS Detroit (@CBSDetroit) October 12, 2023
According to the source, Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee indicated the teen’s motivations were not political.
“The senseless murder of Theodore Lawson speaks to the careless mindset of a very small section of our most violent offenders … It is too often [that] these acts of violence are by youthful offenders with no value of consequence or accountability. I applaud Prosecutor Dewane for his firm stance on gun violence,” Sosebee reportedly said.
Tributes poured out across social media after news of Lawson’s death broke.
We are shocked and saddened by the loss of Ted Lawson, a committed volunteer who dedicated so much of his life to making his community, and Michigan, a better place for all. Our thoughts are with his loved ones and anyone affected by this senseless tragedy.
— Michigan Democrats (@MichiganDems) October 9, 2023
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