“The defendant is no longer free and is already back in custody,” Washtenaw County prosecuting attorney Eli Savit shared with the public via Facebook. Ryan Le-Nguyen, who EBONY reported was the alleged assailant behind a 6-year-old Black boy being shot in the arm, was returned to jail without incident after outcry from the Ypsilanti, Michigan community.

Le-Nguyen’s bond was increased to $100,000.

“We are glad the defendant is back in custody to ensure the safety of the community,” Savit told USA Today. The 6-year-old boy Coby “was shot in the arm, but a couple of inches over and he would be dead.” The boy suffered a gunshot wound to his arm after he went to retrieve his bike from Le-Nguyen’s front yard. A neighboring home’s Ring doorbell camera captured the shocking incident.

Le-Nguyen, in a statement made by the child to Fox 2 Detroit, tried to hit him with a sledgehammer, but he was able to get away. Police say the man then fired a gun through his window and the bullet went through Coby’s arm. “I’m irate, really,” the boy’s father, Arnold Daniel, told the outlet. “I can’t function and I don’t know what to do ... I’m scared for my family. I’m scared for them because I don’t know what he’s capable of.”

Le-Nguyen was arrested and charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do bodily harm and two firearms charges, but was freed from jail on Tuesday, June 8, after making his $10,000 bond. The bond amount and Le-Nguyen’s release further upset local residents.

“We share in the community’s pain and anger from a child being shot. And we know that, for many, the pain and anger is compounded by the fact that the defendant was able to make his bond as set by the court,” Savit wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday, June 9.

After the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office filed an emergency motion to cancel Le-Nguyen’s bond, it was increased to $100,000. A probable cause conference for the case is scheduled for July 22.

ryan le-nguyen