MARQUETTE - A 19-year-old Ishpeming man was arraigned on three felony counts today, as the suspected shooter in a weekend drive-by shooting in Marquette.
The charges alleged against Phillip Scott Swanson in a warrant authorized by the Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney's Office were a 5-year felony weapons violation of possessing a short-barreled shotgun or rifle; a 4-year felony of discharging a firearm in or at a building and a 4-year felony of discharging a firearm from a vehicle.
Swanson was arrested Saturday night on a parole violation warrant after police stopped a red pickup truck along south Front Street. He has remained lodged in the Marquette County Jail. Police mistakenly identified the 19-year-old Swanson as a 21-year-old Marquette man, in a news release Monday.
Marquette City Police Department Detective Capt. Gordon Warchock said the shooting stemmed from an argument between parties over a girl and a previous marijuana drug transaction that left one party unsatisfied.
"One party was very unhappy about it and that's what fueled the issue," Warchock said.
At 3:21 a.m. Sunday, police were called to a home located at 527 Center Street in Marquette, where the homeowner said he believed the front window of his house was shot out by known group of individuals riding by.
Police said neighbors confirmed they heard what they thought was a gunshot and saw a suspect vehicle leaving the scene. Investigators discovered the front window was shot out with what appeared to be a shotgun. No one was hurt in the incident.
After interviewing residents of the home, police were able to determine the names and descriptions of the suspects and their vehicle. Warchock said there were at least two people in the home at the time of the shooting. Just over an hour later, a Marquette City Police Department officer located the red pickup truck believed to have been used in the shooting, traveling along south Front Street.
A traffic stop was made on the vehicle, which contained several suspects, including Swanson. There were also two 17-year-old twin brothers arrested for possession of marijuana. Police said the pickup truck was theirs. Their identifications have been withheld by The Mining Journal, pending their appearance in court, which has not been scheduled.
Warchock said at the time of the traffic stop there were seven individuals in the truck; five males and two females who ranged in age from 15 to 21.
At the Center Street residence on Monday, a piece of plywood had been put up over the window the shotgun had been fired through.
John Pepin can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206.
