A fatal encounter on January 29 unfolded at the Harbour Club Apartments in Van Buren Township, resulting in the death of 37-year-old Samer Taha Abukaff of Ypsilanti. An altercation inside an apartment preceded Abukaff being shot in the back of the head as he was leaving the residence. Van Buren Township police responded to the scene in the 48000 block of Denton Road at approximately 5:30 p.m. that Sunday evening.
Arndola Charles Lewis, a 44-year-old male resident of the apartment complex, was immediately arrested at the scene. Lewis was arraigned at the 34th District Court on February 1 on charges of first-degree, premeditated murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and a second offense of felony firearm. His bond was initially set at $500,000 cash. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Lewis's past criminal history included an attempted armed robbery charge from 1999, an assault with intent to do great bodily harm charge in 2011, and two drug possession charges in 2015.
During a preliminary examination on February 22, tensions were high in the courtroom as it was filled with friends and family of both Abukaff and Lewis. A group of men who were there to support the victim became agitated, and one refused a judge's request to be seated, causing a disruption. Following the examination, the judge found probable cause to believe that Lewis had committed the crimes he was accused of.
Lewis was bound over to circuit court for a March 1 arraignment on the charges of homicide, possession of a weapon by a felon, and felony firearm. At that time, his bond was changed to no bond, and he was remanded to the Wayne County Jail. A jury trial was subsequently set for July 24 before Circuit Court Judge Wanda A. Evans at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.
