Police: Detroit man confessed to McDonald’s parking lot shooting

The Detroit man charged in the death of a man in January in a McDonald’s parking in Lexington admitted to shooting the man and getting rid of the gun, a detective testified Wednesday.

Timothy Brown Jr., 23, a father of five daughters, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a wrecked car near the McDonald’s at 1499 Russell Cave Road Jan. 12. He died shortly after first responders arrived.

Devonte M. Hobbs, 21, was arrested last month by the U.S. Marshal’s Service in Detroit on charges of murder and first-degree robbery.

Detective Brandon Helm said at a hearing Wednesday that Hobbs told police he shot Brown after a struggle for a handgun in Brown’s car. Hobbs didn’t admit to robbing Brown.

A witness told police that he had set up a meeting between the two and drove Hobbs to the McDonald’s to buy cocaine from Brown, Helm said.

Surveillance photos from the fast-food chain shows a pair of cars pulled up next to each other, but it doesn’t show what happened inside the cars, Helm said.

Hobbs was in Brown’s car for several minutes, and the witnesses reported seeing Hobbs pull a gun on Brown and demand money before firing shots.

In Detroit, Hobbs told detectives that Brown tried to rob him, Helm said. The struggle with the gun caused two shots to go off before Hobbs grabbed the gun and fired a shot at Brown.

The gun wasn’t recovered, Helm said. He said three 9mm shell casings were found outside the car. DNA evidence from Brown and Hobbs and a holster were found at the scene and have been sent for forensic analysis in Frankfort.

Helm said Hobbs told the witness to drive him home after Brown was shot, and not to say anything about what happened because “this could ruin his life.”

Hobbs’ attorney, Shannon Brooks-English, pressed Helm repeatedly with questions about the robbery charge. Brooks-English asked why Hobbs wouldn’t have taken $200 and 84 ounces of marijuana that police found in Brown’s wrecked car.

Helm said the witness couldn’t say whether Hobbs had any of Brown’s possessions.

Despite the attorney’s arguments about the robbery charge, District Judge T. Bruce Bell found probable cause for the case to go before a grand jury.

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Police: Detroit man confessed to McDonald’s parking lot shooting."