WESTLAND, Mich. — Rene Miguel Zambrana, 37, of Detroit, has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a Salvation Army bell-ringer last week, authorities reported.
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and Westland Police Department, Zambrana faces first-degree murder and felony firearm charges. His bond was denied.
Officers were called to a Kroger on Ford Road near Central City Parkway after a shooting was reported on Thursday. Upon arrival, they found Alvin Leon Echols, 47, of Westland, on the floor near the self-checkout with a gunshot wound to the chest. Echols was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities said Zambrana and Echols knew each other, and the shooting was not random. Prosecutors allege Zambrana shot Echols multiple times near a Salvation Army donation kettle. Echols ran into the store before collapsing and dying from a single gunshot wound.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy noted that while the incident has received attention as a random holiday tragedy, evidence suggests it stemmed from a complicated interpersonal dispute.
Zambrana is scheduled to appear for his probable cause hearing on Dec. 30, with a preliminary examination set for Jan. 8, the prosecutor’s office said.
