A Redford Township man has been found not guilty on all charges connected to a downtown Ferndale shooting that occurred outside the Orchid Theatre in April 2025. After a three-day trial, an Oakland County jury acquitted 29-year-old Coreyontai DeShawn Rmon Hammonds of assault with intent to murder and multiple firearm offenses.
The jury began hearing testimony on December 8 and returned its verdict on December 10. Court records show deliberations were brief, and the judge entered a formal order of acquittal immediately after the verdict. The decision clears Hammonds of four felony counts, including the most serious charge of assault with intent to murder and a felony-firearm third offense which carries a mandatory 10 year minimum prison sentence if convicted.
The path to trial included several attempts by the defense to reduce the charges ahead of proceedings. Defense attorneys filed motions in November seeking to downgrade two of the firearms counts to second offenses. Prosecutors filed a response but the judge ultimately denied the request on November 26. The court also rejected a defense motion to limit evidence and several additional motions filed in the days leading up to trial. With all requests denied, the case moved forward on the original felony charges.
The charges stemmed from an April 13 shooting in Ferndale’s busy downtown district. Around 12:30 a.m., officers on foot patrol heard multiple gunshots coming from the Woodward alley between Nine Mile and West Troy Street. They located a 29-year-old man from Warren near the rear entrance of the Orchid Theatre at 141 W. Nine Mile Road. The victim had been shot in the groin, and officers administered first aid until Ferndale Fire and Rescue arrived. The man was later treated and released.
Investigators determined the victim had been in the Orchid Theatre’s patio area moments before the shooting. According to police, a vehicle approached the patio and the victim walked toward it. An exchange occurred between the victim and the vehicle’s occupant, and the suspect fired several shots. Ferndale Police identified Hammonds as the alleged gunman after reviewing Flock Safety camera footage and determined the shooting was a targeted confrontation between individuals who knew each other.
Hammonds was arrested without incident on May 23 with assistance from the FBI’s Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force. He was given a $500k cash or surety bond at arraignment in district court and the case was formally bound over to circuit court for trial in June.
Although he was acquitted of all charges in the Ferndale case, MDOC records show Hammonds remains on active parole through July 2026 for prior violent felony convictions out of Wayne County. Those convictions include armed robbery, assault with intent to rob while armed, and two felony-firearm counts stemming from a 2014 case. His current supervision began in July 2023, and state records indicate his parole is scheduled to expire on July 6, 2026.
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