Man accused of shooting at teen outside Oxford youth facility

A man is facing federal charges in connection with allegedly firing a gun at a teen outside a northern Oakland County facility for at-risk youth last week, court records show.

Dartez Tremayne Downs, 30, was arrested shortly after the incident Sept. 26 at Crossroads for Youth in Oxford, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

He had driven to the site with a woman whose 17-year-old son attends Crossroads; the teen’s infant child; and the baby’s mother, the filing reported.

Crossroads provides residential and day treatment programs for at-risk youth, including the Achievement Center program targeting teen boys, according to the website.

When learning Downs had arrived, the 17-year-old went to confront the man in the parking lot, the criminal complaint said.

The teen told authorities Downs had recently assaulted his mother. Investigators confirmed a personal protection order had been filed against the man due to a domestic violence incident involving the woman, according to the complaint.

Downs also has a criminal history, having previously pleaded guilty to charges including felony larceny from a motor vehicle and felony failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious impairment or death, federal officials said.

“During the confrontation, Downs and the (teen) exchanged punches,” a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in the complaint. “The fight was broken up by staff, Downs went to the driver’s side of a green Dodge Challenger while the victim went back into the facility.”

But moments later, the teen returned and approached Downs, who was inside the car, the filing said.

"The victim observed the driver's side window roll down and an opened driver's side door," the agent said. "The victim heard their mother yelling 'Stop! That's my baby!' As the victim began to return to the facility, Downs produced a firearm and fired at least one shot."

The teen was not struck. Downs fled in the Dodge Challenger, according to the complaint.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office was alerted. A deputy soon pulled over Downs and found a black SCCY CPX1 9mm handgun registered to the victim's mother as well as a matching spent cartridge casing near the passenger seat, authorities said.

Downs was taken to the Oakland County Jail, where he remained until an initial appearance in federal court on Monday, records show.

He was charged with discharging a firearm in a school zone and felon in possession of a firearm.

A detention hearing was held Tuesday, records show. Downs, who turns 31 next month, is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary examination on Oct. 14.

He was appointed a federal defender, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night on the case.

The Crossroads incident was mentioned during an Oxford Community Schools Board of Education meeting the day after.

State law requires the district to educate youths at the campus, which is located in its jurisdiction, Superintendent Ken Weaver told the board.

"Occasionally a student may get assigned there from Oxford. Currently there are none," he said. "The incident happened well after the school day. All of our employees were gone and it involved … a planned activity where an individual brought a visitor that they were not supposed to."