Teen facing felony charges in Niles shooting

Published 4:33 pm Thursday, January 18, 2024

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NILES — A Niles teen has been arraigned on five felony charges in relation to the shooting Wednesday morning on South 11th Street in the city. 

Sawyer Holloway, 18, of Sheffield Avenue in Niles, was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Berrien County Trial Court before Berrien County Trial Judge Jennifer Smith.  

Holloway is being charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. 

     The maximum penalties for the charges he faces are 10 years in prison for assault with intent do to great bodily harm less than murder, five years in prison for carrying a concealed weapon, four years in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and a consecutive two years in prison on the felony firearms charges. 

     He will next be in court Jan. 31 for a pre-exam conference and Feb. 6 for a preliminary hearing. His bond was set at $25,000 cash or surety bond. He asked for and received representation from the public defender’s office and was assigned to attorney Shayne Williams. 

     The incident occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday in a driveway in the 1200 block of South 11th Street. The person shot, Mal Derwood Wynn, 34, of Niles, was treated and released Wednesday from South Bend Memorial Hospital. 

     Niles police reported Wednesday that they were dispatched to the Little Caesars Pizza at 1244 South 11th shortly after 10 a.m. that morning for a malicious destruction of property complaint involving two employees who were in a verbal dispute.  

They reported that they received a 911 call moments later of a subject who had been shot and received a non-life-threatening injury. The location of the shooting victim was the Dollar Tree store located at 1202 S. 11th St and officers responded to both locations.  

The victim was located at Dollar Tree where he was treated by Niles Fire Department, SMCAS Ambulance personnel, and transported to South Bend Memorial Hospital.  

The suspect was located by Niles Police officers at Little Caesars, which is a few hundred feet south of Dollar Tree and taken into custody. Based on evidence at the scene, investigators determined that the shooting took place in a business entrance near the 1200 block of S. 11th St.