SCHOOLCRAFT TOWNSHIP (WKZO AM/FM) — A man is being charged with the shooting death of his best friend as investigators still try to figure out if it was accidental or murder.
28-year-old William Michael Bolton was shot and killed in the 13000 block of West Tremblay Drive in Schoolcraft Township 12:45 a.m. Saturday and his friend, 25-year-old Thomas William Wyatt, was arraigned Monday on open murder charges.
Parents of both the victim and the suspect believe it was an accident.
Bolton’s mother says the two were cleaning their guns to go to the gun range when Wyatt’s went off.
However, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller says they still need to look into if alcohol was involved or if there was an argument or situation that took place, and that will take some time.
Wyatt is in the Kalamazoo County Jail being held without bond.
The Prosecutors Office has authorized an open murder charge, which is a catchall description which could range from involuntary manslaughter on the low end to first degree murder at the most serious.
