Man denied bond after 2 shot, 1 dies in southwest Detroit

James David Dickson
The Detroit News

Detroit — A 33-year-old River Rouge man previously convicted of manslaughter has been charged in an early-May double shooting and homicide in southwest Detroit, authorities confirmed. 

The shooting took place about 2:20 a.m. on the 6700 block of West Lafayette, said Officer Holly Lance, a Detroit Police Department spokeswoman. That's north of Interstate 75 and west of Livernois.

Lance said that after "several individuals were asked to leave" an establishment, gunfire rang out, striking two men, ages 28 and 37.

Clifford Sabin

The younger man died; the second victim was listed in stable condition.

Police arrested 33-year-old Clifford Sabin. 

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged Sabin with six felonies: first-degree premeditated murder, assault with intent to murder, firearms possession by a felon, and three counts of felony firearm.

At his arraignment Wednesday at Detroit's 36th District Court, Magistrate Laura Echartea denied Sabin bond, and  he will remain at Wayne County Jail. 

Sabin is due back in court on June 26 for a probable cause conference, and on July 3 for a preliminary examination, both before Judge Lynise Bryant. 

After a 2008 jury trial in Wayne County, Sabin was found guilty of seven charges — involuntary manslaughter and six counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. For the manslaughter charge, he was given a sentence of seven to 15 years; for the others, five to 10 years. 

Prison records show he was paroled in March 2018. Sabin reported to his last scheduled parole meeting before his arrest on May 15, just four days after the homicide. Holly Kramer, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Corrections, said Sabin had passed all of his drug tests.

But when the department learned he was wanted for homicide, on June 10, its Absconder Recovery Unit, along with a SWAT team, arrested him the next day.