ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A manslaughter charge has been issued after a body was found outside a Grand Rapids-area apartment complex.
Charges of felony firearm and manslaughter have been authorized against 18-year-old Santiago Barajas, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday, after the body of 28-year-old Mark Allen Blakley III was found in the woods behind York Creek Apartments last month.
Previously, Barajas was charged with carrying a concealed weapon. According to court documents, deputies responded on June 15 to Alpenhorn Drive NW in Alpine Township for a report of the sound of gunshots. When they arrived, deputies found witnesses pointing to Barajas and saying he had fired a gun. Deputies said that Barajas had a Glock concealed on him. He did not have a concealed weapons permit, according to court documents.
18-year-old facing weapons charge in possible homicide, judge says
Barajas allegedly told investigators he had been robbed while trying to sell a watch during a Facebook Marketplace transaction. Barajas said he had fired a gun twice into the ground, court documents indicate…