Detroit judge shot in apparent robbery attempt; suspects at large
DETROIT - A prosecutor says a federal judge who was shot in the leg outside his Detroit home was trying to protect his family during a robbery attempt.
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade says the shooting of Terrence Berg, 55, doesn't appear to be related to his work. She says he was taking out trash Thursday night when two people confronted him to try to get inside his home.
CBS Detroit reports that a struggle ensued, during which one of the suspects opened fire, striking Berg in the right thigh. The assailants then reportedly fled the scene in a black vehicle, likely a Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger. The station reports that investigators do not think that Berg was intentionally targeted. Berg's wife, Anita Sevier, said neither she nor her husband recognized the assailants, described as African-American males, approximately 18- to 20-years old.
Sevier told CBS Detroit that when she heard her husband scream she initially thought he had slipped on the ice and maybe broken a window.
"I feel badly that somebody felt that they needed to do this," she said. "I feel for people that don't have something else to be doing. I'm sorry that this has to happen in Detroit."
Sevier said they have lived in the home 20 years and always felt safe.
McQuade says Berg refused and was "heroic" in protecting his family.
Berg's wife, Anita Sevier, says he will undergo surgery later Friday. His injury isn't life-threatening. Nobody has been arrested.
Berg has been a judge for two years, and his court is in Flint. He served as a federal prosecutor for two decades, including briefly as head of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit.