Brandon Twp.- When Steve Frasher first heard about bullet-proof windows and doors being used on homes in California, he thought the idea was crazy. He wondered who would need it.
‘I would never have thought in a million years we’d need it in Ortonville, Michigan,? says Frasher.
But now, standing in his home next to a beveled window shattered by bullets, he’s reconsidering.
Frasher’s Granger Road home was shot at 16 times on the night of Nov. 12. Bullets pierced the beveled glass in the front door, tore chunks out of oak in several places, and went through the front window and a second story window. A total of 13 bullets penetrated to the interior of the home, some ripping through walls and ricocheting off kitchen cabinets.
The next door neighbor’s home was also shot at seven times by bullets. The neighbor, who did not want to be identified, declined to comment other than to say he believed the police were doing an excellent job.
According to an Oakland County Sheriff’s report, Brandon deputies were originally called to the man’s home at about 7:48 p.m. His wife had been sitting at the computer in the home’s den when two bullets penetrated the home. One of the bullets missed her by about 18 inches. She ran upstairs to her husband, who was preparing their two young sons for a shower, yelling their house was being fired upon. The pair went downstairs to check for damage when they heard two more shots and a lightbulb exploded in the foyer. They called 911.
Between 8 and 8:30 p.m., Frasher’s wife returned home. She went to turn the lights out near the front door and noticed glass all over the floor and then saw two bullet holes through the front glass.
‘She called me, I was out of state,? says Frasher, 40. ‘I said, ‘You’re kidding me?? I told her to get out.?
Frasher’s wife (who didn’t want to be named), was driving away when she saw police in the area investigating and alerted them to her home. The crime lab was responding and a Brandon deputy and his K-9 partner began a track which led several hundred feet north of another neighborhood home before it was lost. The crime lab finished processing Frasher’s home and police told Frasher’s wife it was unlikely the suspect would return. But at about 10:30 p.m., as police were processing the neighbor’s home, and the woman was with her daughter, the daughter’s boyfriend, a cousin and a friend, several more bullets were fired at the home.
Frasher called his stepdaughter’s boyfriend a hero, saying he pushed her down and shielded her in the bedroom. Deputies responded to the home and the family would take shelter in a tiled shower for four hours.
A total of 15 patrol cars and numerous deputies were at the scene, including Special Response Team members. An aviation unit also responded with negative results. Shell casings from a .22 caliber gun were found on Granger Road in front of the home.
Undersheriff Michael McCabe said he had no explanation for what occurred.
‘We’re at a loss as to why this happened,? he said. ‘This isn’t an urban area. We’ve never had a drive-by shooting in Brandon Township. We’re appealing to the publics. Somebody knows something and it will just take that one tip. Whoever perpetrated this was trying to harm someone or kill the occupants. The person firing that weapon knew someone could have been killed as a result.?
McCabe believes more than one person was involved and it is likely they were in a vehicle.
Frasher says he has no idea who would do this. He has not had any problems with his neighbors and doesn’t believe he was specifically targeted, since his neighbor’s home was also shot at.
Frasher built what he calls his dream home three years ago and continues to work on it. He says this will not deter him and his wife from living at the spacious, oak-accented home, but something has been taken away, he feels violated.
‘What really upsets me, is to think somebody thinks he has the right to terrorize my family and shoot up my house,? says Frasher. ‘We just can’t figure it out. We won’t rest until he’s found. If the guy is caught this could be attempted murder.?
Oakland County Sheriff’s detectives request anyone with any information on this case call their tipline at 1-888-TURN-1-IN. A minimum $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.