By Jim Newell

Review Editor

ORION TWP. – A 20-year-old Oxford Township man was shot in the leg on Monday in what appears to be an armed robbery over marijuana, police said.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 3:31 p.m. Dec. 6 that there had been a shooting in the parking lot of the Beaumont Medical Center, 1455 S. Lapeer Road, in Orion Township, according to a sheriff’s office incident report.

The sheriff’s office sent out an alert warning the public that there had been a shooting in the area but that it was not an active shooter situation.

Sheriff Michael Bouchard, who had been at a church in Orion Township, arrived within minutes of the shooting and located the victim inside a rear doorway of the medical center.

“We had an individual that was shot, appears to be in the parking lot, and then made his way into the building so the building went into lockdown.,” Bouchard told news crews at the scene.

“We believe that this was a robbery. The individual knew his robbers. It was not something that was random in any way, shape or form. They were out in the parking lot and what turned from, sounds like, from a payback of a bill turned into a robbery with a gunshot,” Bouchard said.

Deputies had searched and cleared the Beaumont building by 4:45 p.m. Nearby businesses had also been cautioned to lock down during the search.

Authorities have since learned the victim was inside a vehicle in the parking lot “engaged in a transaction to pay a debt for marijuana,” an incident report released late Monday evening from Undersheriff Mike McCabe’s office stated.

“The suspect (known to the victim) pulled out a black semi-auto handgun and demanded all of the victim’s money. A struggle ensued in the vehicle and the suspect shot the victim in the right knee. As the victim fled the vehicle, the suspect attempted to shoot the victim again, but the firearm did not discharge. Three suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction, in a four door, Chevrolet Malibu, dark metallic blue in color,” the report stated.

Detectives were able to positively identify the suspect who shot the victim, and are searching for the individual.

The Orion Township Fire Department transported the victim to a local hospital for treatment.