If this opinion indicates that it is “FOR PUBLICATION,” it is subject to 

revision until final publication in the Michigan Appeals Reports.

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S T A T E O F M I C H I G A N

C O U R T O F A P P E A L S

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

UNPUBLISHED

December 19, 2019

v No. 344313

Jackson Circuit Court

LADARRIUS SHAQUOR WOODS, LC No. 16-005177-FC

Defendant-Appellant.

Before: SWARTZLE, P.J., and MARKEY and REDFORD, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

Defendant appeals by right his jury trial convictions of assault with intent to commit 

murder (AWIM), MCL 750.83, carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), MCL 750.227, and 

possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (felony-firearm), MCL 750.227b. The 

trial court sentenced defendant to 8 to 20 years’ imprisonment for the AWIM conviction, 3 to 5

years’ imprisonment for the CCW conviction, and 2 years’ imprisonment for the felony-firearm 

conviction. We affirm.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

This case arises from the shooting of the victim, Justin Ewing-Brown. On the day of the 

shooting, the victim was at the apartment of his girlfriend, Brittany Wilks, with the couple’s two 

children, along with the victim’s friend, Kalinn Williams. In the afternoon, another friend,

Dondre Curry, arrived at the apartment to pick up his television. The victim and Curry became 

embroiled in an argument regarding the television, which evolved into a physical altercation that 

quickly ended in the victim’s favor. From inside the apartment, Curry proceeded to place a 

phone call to defendant, his nephew. Curry was upset about the fight and threatened the victim 

and the victim’s family while he was on the phone with defendant. The victim told Curry to 

leave, and Curry exited the apartment with the television. Shortly thereafter, defendant arrived at 

the apartment. The victim and defendant talked about the fight that had transpired between 

Curry and the victim. Defendant, who had a gun in the pocket of his jacket, shot the victim 

through the jacket. The victim was struck by a bullet in his upper right leg, near the groin. The 

victim never saw the firearm. Defendant left the apartment, and Wilks, who had been in a
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bedroom, came out and called the police. Defendant was arrested later that evening while he was 

working at a local gas station. At trial, defendant admitted that he shot the victim, but he 

maintained that the shooting was an accident.

Defendant and Curry were both criminally charged, they participated in separate 

preliminary examinations; their cases were later consolidated; they were tried jointly before a 

single jury; the charges against Curry were dismissed on his motion for directed verdict, and 

defendant was convicted as indicated above. The victim, who testified at both preliminary 

examinations, did not testify at the joint trial, and there is no dispute that he was “unavailable” 

for trial. The trial court allowed the admission of the victim’s testimony at the two preliminary 

examinations. 

II. ANALYSIS

A. ARGUMENTS UNDER THE CONFRONTATION CLAUSE AND MRE 804(b)(1)

On appeal, defendant first argues that the trial court erred by admitting the victim’s 

testimony from the two preliminary examinations. Defendant contends that the evidence 

violated the Confrontation Clause and was contrary to MRE 804(b)(1), which provides a hearsay 

exception for former testimony by a declarant when the declarant is unavailable. Defendant also 

maintains that the trial court erred and violated the Confrontation Clause by admitting a 

testimonial hearsay statement made by Wilks to a police officer, which was not made during an 

ongoing emergency. 

We review for an abuse of discretion a trial court's decision to admit evidence. People v 

Lukity, 460 Mich 484, 488; 596 NW2d 607 (1999). “When the decision regarding the admission 

of evidence involves a preliminary question of law, such as whether a statute or rule of evidence 

precludes admissibility of the evidence, the issue is reviewed de novo.” People v Washington, 

468 Mich 667, 670-671; 664 NW2d 203 (2003). This Court reviews de novo the question 

whether a defendant was denied the constitutional right to confront complaining witnesses. 

People v Benton, 294 Mich App 191, 195; 817 NW2d 599 (2011).

1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Under the United States Constitution, “[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall 

enjoy the right . . . to be confronted with the witnesses against him[.]” US Const, Am VI. 

Similarly, under the Michigan Constitution, “[i]n every criminal prosecution, the accused shall 

have the right . . . to be confronted with the witnesses against him or her[.]” Const 1963, art 1, § 

20. “The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment bars the admission of ‘testimonial’ 

statements of a witness who did not appear at trial, unless the witness was unavailable to testify 

and the defendant had a prior opportunity to cross-examine the witness.” People v Walker (On 

Remand), 273 Mich App 56, 60-61; 728 NW2d 902 (2006), citing Crawford v Washington, 541 

US 36, 59, 68; 124 S Ct 1354; 158 L Ed 2d 177 (2004) (“Where testimonial evidence is at issue, 

. . . the Sixth Amendment demands what the common law required: unavailability and a prior 
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opportunity for cross-examination.”). The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment is 

applicable to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. 

Tennessee v Lane, 541 US 509, 523; 124 S Ct 1978; 158 L Ed 2d 820 (2004).

In People v Nunley, 491 Mich 686, 697-698; 821 NW2d 642 (2012), our Supreme Court 

observed: 

The Confrontation Clause is primarily a functional right in which the right 

to confront and cross-examine witnesses is aimed at truth-seeking and promoting 

reliability in criminal trials. Functioning in this manner, the principal evil at which 

the Confrontation Clause was directed was the civil-law mode of criminal 

procedure, and particularly its use of ex parte examinations as evidence against 

the accused. 

The specific protections the Confrontation Clause provides apply only to 

statements used as substantive evidence. In particular, one of the core protections 

of the Confrontation Clause concerns hearsay evidence that is “testimonial” in 

nature. The United States Supreme Court has held that the introduction of out-ofcourt testimonial statements violates the Confrontation Clause; thus, out-of-court 

testimonial statements are inadmissible unless the declarant appears at trial or the 

defendant has had a previous opportunity to cross-examine the declarant. 

[Citations and quotation marks omitted.] 

Testimony given at a preliminary examination constitutes evidence that is testimonial in 

nature. Crawford, 541 US at 68; Nunley, 491 Mich at 698-699. The United States Supreme 

Court has recognized that while a preliminary examination “is ordinarily a less searching 

exploration into the merits of a case than a trial,” the Confrontation Clause can be satisfied if a 

defendant’s cross-examination of the witness at the preliminary examination was not 

significantly limited in scope or nature and the witness was actually unavailable at trial. 

California v Green, 399 US 149, 166; 90 S Ct 1930; 26 L Ed 2d 489 (1970). “[P]rior trial or 

preliminary hearing testimony is admissible only if the defendant had an adequate opportunity to 

cross-examine.” Crawford, 541 US at 57. The constitutional right of confrontation solely 

guarantees an opportunity for effective cross-examination, not cross-examination that is effective 

to whatever extent and in whatever way a defendant wishes. United States v Owens, 484 US 

554, 559; 108 S Ct 838; 98 L Ed 2d 951 (1988). “It is sufficient that the defendant has the 

opportunity to bring out such matters as the witness' bias, his lack of care and attentiveness, his 

poor eyesight, and even . . . the very fact that he has a bad memory.” Id.

Pursuant to MRE 804(b)(1), former testimony given as a witness at another hearing of the 

same or different proceeding is not inadmissible under the hearsay rule when the witness is 

unavailable and when “the party against whom the testimony is now offered . . . had an 

opportunity and similar motive to develop the testimony by direct, cross, or redirect 

examination.” 

2. ADMISSION OF VICTIM’S TESTIMONY FROM DEFENDANT’S 

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
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Although in his statement of argument defendant asserts that the admission of the 

victim’s testimony from defendant’s preliminary examination violated the Confrontation Clause 

and MRE 804(b)(1), we are having difficulty identifying any substantive supporting argument in 

the body of his brief. Defendant presents no argument, analysis, or reasoning whatsoever with 

respect to MRE 804(b)(1). Indeed, this rule of evidence is not even mentioned after being cited 

in the statement of argument. We thus find any argument based on MRE 804(b)(1) abandoned. 

See People v Kammeraad, 307 Mich App 98, 143; 858 NW2d 490 (2014) (“It is not enough for 

an appellant in his brief simply to announce a position or assert an error and then leave it up to 

this Court to discover and rationalize the basis for his claims, or unravel and elaborate for him 

his arguments, and then search for authority either to sustain or reject his position.”) (citation and 

quotation marks omitted).

With respect to the Confrontation Clause argument, defendant devotes much time 

discussing United States Supreme Court opinions that addressed the Confrontation Clause and 

preliminary hearings and examinations, including a dissent written by JUSTICE BRENNAN in 

Green, 399 US at 196-197, which criticized allowing preliminary hearing testimony at trial. 

Defendant then argues in full:

In conclusion, the Confrontation Clause requires an adequate crossexamination, not just the mere opportunity for cross-examination. Mr. Woods 

asked this Court to recognize a rule that cross-examination conducted at a 

preliminary examination does not satisfy the Confrontation Clause. 

We, of course, cannot oblige defendant in his attempt to change the law. We are bound 

by precedent from our Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court, which provides that 

preliminary examination testimony can be presented at trial if the witness is unavailable and 

there was an adequate opportunity for effective cross-examination of the witness at the 

preliminary examination. Crawford, 541 US at 57; Nunley, 491 Mich at 698. Defendant fails to 

argue that such an opportunity did not exist in this case, and the record plainly reveals that he 

had an opportunity to effectively cross examine the victim at the preliminary examination and 

that the examination was not significantly limited in scope or nature. Reversal is unwarranted.

3. ADMISSION OF VICTIM’S TESTIMONY FROM CURRY’S PRELIMINARY 

EXAMINATION

Plainly, a potential Confrontation Clause problem arose when the victim’s testimony at 

Curry’s preliminary examination was admitted into evidence and considered by the jury as to 

defendant. As noted earlier, there were separate preliminary examinations for defendant and 

Curry; therefore, defendant necessarily did not have an adequate or any opportunity to cross

examine the victim at Curry’s preliminary examination.1 In People v Bruner II, 501 Mich 220, 

227-228; 912 NW2d 514 (2018), our Supreme Court addressed Confrontation Clause issues in 

the context of joint trials with a single jury, explaining:

 1 Defendant and Curry were represented by separate counsel.
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Joint trials with a single jury present a special problem. Some evidence 

may be admissible as to one defendant but violate a codefendant's confrontation 

right. When that is the case, a court must either exclude the testimony or take 

measures to eliminate the confrontation problem. What measures are sufficient 

depends on the context and content of the evidence. If, for example, a witness's 

testimony can be redacted to eliminate reference to the codefendant's 

existence, that witness will not have borne testimony against the codefendant in 

any Sixth Amendment sense. Sometimes the court can accomplish the same by 

instructing the jury to consider testimony against one defendant, but not the other. 

[Citations omitted.]

In Bruner II, the Court held that “[t]he defendant had no opportunity to cross-examine the 

witness, and because the substance of the witness's testimony—the codefendant's confession that 

implicated the defendant—was so powerfully incriminating, the limiting instruction and 

redaction were ineffective to cure the Confrontation Clause violation.” Id. at 223.

In this case, we tend to agree with defendant that there was a Confrontation Clause 

violation where there were no measures taken to eliminate the confrontation problem.2 

Regardless, assuming that defendant’s vague objection to the admission of the victim’s 

testimony from Curry’s preliminary examination sufficed for purposes of preservation, we hold 

that any error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. “Harmless error analysis applies to 

claims concerning Confrontation Clause errors, [b]ut to safeguard the jury trial guarantee, a 

reviewing court must conduct a thorough examination of the record in order to evaluate whether 

it is clear, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the jury verdict would have been the same absent the 

error.” People v Shepherd, 472 Mich 343, 348; 697 NW2d 144 (2005) (citation and quotation 

marks omitted).

The victim’s testimony was substantially the same at both preliminary examinations. 

Defendant argues that the error was not harmless because, in the context of Curry’s preliminary 

examination, the jury heard testimony by the victim regarding the physical altercation between 

Curry and the victim, which occurred before the shooting and before defendant was even present. 

This argument suggests that the victim’s testimony at defendant’s preliminary examination did 

not cover the argument and physical altercation between the victim and Curry, but this is 

factually inaccurate, as the victim also testified regarding these matters at defendant’s 

preliminary examination. Defendant also contends that the error was not harmless because the 

jury heard about the threats Curry made to the victim, “both on his own behalf and Mr. Woods’ 

behalf, but outside of the presence of Mr. Woods and without his request or authorization.” 

Once again, the victim also testified at defendant’s preliminary examination about Curry’s 

threats made in relationship to himself and defendant harming the victim. Reversal is 

 2 Defendant again presents no argument, analysis, or reasoning whatsoever with respect to MRE 

804(b)(1), and this rule of evidence is not mentioned after being cited in the statement of 

argument. We thus find any argument based on MRE 804(b)(1) abandoned. See Kammeraad, 

307 Mich App at 143.
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unwarranted because any presumed Confrontation Clause infringement was harmless beyond a 

reasonable doubt where the victim’s testimony at Curry’s preliminary examination did not 

deviate in any materially relevant manner from his testimony at defendant’s preliminary 

examination.

4. ADMISSION OF STATEMENTS MADE BY WILKS TO POLICE OFFICER

Defendant next argues that the trial court’s admission of a police interview with Wilks 

conducted at the scene and captured on an officer’s body camera violated the Confrontation 

Clause. In Davis v Washington, 547 US 813, 822; 126 S Ct 2266; 165 L Ed 2d 224 (2006), the 

United States Supreme Court explained:

Statements are nontestimonial when made in the course of police 

interrogation under circumstances objectively indicating that the primary purpose 

of the interrogation is to enable police assistance to meet an ongoing emergency. 

They are testimonial when the circumstances objectively indicate that there is no 

such ongoing emergency, and that the primary purpose of the interrogation is to 

establish or prove past events potentially relevant to later criminal prosecution. 

“The existence of an ‘ongoing emergency’ at the time of an encounter between an 

individual and the police is among the most important circumstances informing the ‘primary 

purpose’ of an interrogation.” Michigan v Bryant, 562 US 344, 361; 131 S Ct 1143; 179 L Ed 2d 

93 (2011).

Deputy Director Chris Boulter was one of the first officers to arrive at the crime scene. 

He testified that he was immediately concerned when he arrived at the apartment complex 

because it was 2:45 p.m. and area schools were releasing students. He swiftly notified nearby 

schools to go into lockdown because he did not want more students arriving at nearby apartment 

complexes. At the time, Boulter did not know the identity of the perpetrator or whether that 

individual was still in the apartment complex. Boulter believed that an ongoing threat existed. 

After Boulter arrived at the apartment, he spoke to Wilks to determine the identity of the shooter 

and to assess the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Wilks did not testify at trial, and there 

is no dispute that she was “unavailable.”

The trial court admitted a video taken with the body camera Boulter had been wearing. 

In the video, Wilks identified defendant as the shooter and provided a physical description of 

defendant. Boulter put out an alert to locate defendant. Wilks’s statements in the video 

regarding the circumstances of the shooting and the identification and description of defendant 

were necessary for Boulter to evaluate whether there was a public threat and whether students 

were endangered. Under these circumstances, we conclude that Boulter was engaged in 

addressing an ongoing emergency when he questioned Wilks and that the primary purpose of the 

interrogation was not to establish or prove past events potentially relevant to a later criminal 

prosecution. Accordingly, Wilks’s statements made during the interview were not testimonial in 

nature; therefore, the Confrontation Clause was not offended. Defendant claims that there was 

no ongoing emergency when Boulter spoke to Wilks because the shooting was over at that point 

and medical personnel had already treated the victim. This argument, however, fails to 

appreciate that the first responders were still present; and while the statements were being made 
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by Wilks, an officer can be seen holding an IV bag to help in the emergency treatment of the 

victim. It was an additional three minutes after Wilks made her statements before the victim was 

even evacuate to an ambulance. Likewise, the defendant was on the loose, his location was 

unknown, and that the police did not yet know the circumstances of the shooting and could not 

rule out the possibility that he posed a danger to students and others. Reversal is unwarranted. 

B. ADMISSIBILITY OF VIDEO-RECORDED POLICE INTERVIEW OF WILLIAMS

Defendant next argues that the trial court erred by admitting a video-recorded police 

interview of Williams, who was present at the apartment when the shooting occurred. Defendant 

contends that the evidence did not qualify as a recorded recollection under MRE 803(5) and 

violated defendant’s right to due process. There is no dispute that the evidence generally 

constituted hearsay.

The trial court admitted the video pursuant to the hearsay exception in MRE 803(5), 

which concerns recorded recollections and provides a hearsay exception for the following types 

of evidence:

A memorandum or record concerning a matter about which a witness once 

had knowledge but now has insufficient recollection to enable the witness to 

testify fully and accurately, shown to have been made or adopted by the witness 

when the matter was fresh in the witness' memory and to reflect that knowledge 

correctly. If admitted, the memorandum or record may be read into evidence but 

may not itself be received as an exhibit unless offered by an adverse party.

“MRE 803(5) does not require a showing that the witness was totally unable to recall the 

memorandum's contents[.]” People v Missias, 106 Mich App 549, 554; 308 NW2d 278 (1981).

Here, Williams’s testimony regarding his memory of the shooting and subsequent police 

interview was unclear and contradictory. Williams acknowledged that he was at the apartment 

with the victim on the day of the shooting. He also indicated that he spoke to police officers 

about one week after the shooting and agreed that his memory of the incident would have been 

better during that interview than it would be at trial. Williams testified that he could not recall 

anything about the shooting. The trial court further inquired into Williams’s recollection. 

Williams claimed that he was confused when he participated in the police interview because it 

was a stressful time in his life. The prosecution played a redacted version of the video for the 

jury. In the video, Williams noted his observations at the apartment on the day of the shooting. 

Specifically, Williams stated that he believed that defendant was going to shoot him after 

defendant shot the victim; however, the gun jammed, and it was inoperable. 

Without being asked a question, Williams volunteered that he could not vouch for the 

video. He also claimed, in response to cross-examination, that he did not remember the 

interview or having it recorded. But Williams admitted that it was he in the video. Williams

maintained that he looked confused and nervous in the video and that he did not really recognize 

himself. Williams explained that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of 

being shot in February 2016. He also asserted that he used medical marijuana.
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Regardless of Williams’s equivocal testimony, the video-recorded interview met the 

foundational requirements for admission pursuant to MRE 803(5). First, the interview pertained 

to the shooting that Williams witnessed. The video itself reflects that Williams once had 

knowledge regarding the circumstances of the shooting. Again, in his direct examination, 

Williams agreed that he was with the victim at the apartment on the day of the shooting and that 

he spoke to police officers about one week after the incident. Moreover, the victim and 

defendant agreed that Williams was present at the time of the shooting. Second, Williams 

claimed at trial that he had no recollection of the shooting or of the video. Third, Williams 

affirmed that indeed he was in the video; therefore, the video consisted of Williams’s own 

recorded statements. Although Williams stated that he could not vouch for the video and that he 

believed that he looked confused and nervous in the footage, these claims went to the weight of

the evidence and not its admissibility. See People v Daniels, 192 Mich App 658, 669; 482 

NW2d 176 (1991).

Further, defendant argues that the trial court erred by not allowing Williams the 

opportunity to review the video to see if it refreshed his recollection; however, that is not a 

requirement for admission under MRE 803(5). See MRE 612 (writing or object used to refresh 

memory). At any rate, it does not appear that it would have made any difference, considering 

that Williams watched the video during the trial and later stated that he did not remember the 

interview. For whatever reason, Williams was plainly a reluctant witness who did not want to 

inculpate defendant.

The trial court did not abuse its discretion by admitting the video recording of Williams’s 

police interview. Moreover, to the extent that defendant raises a general objection to the video 

on due process grounds for the first time on appeal, he has not shown plain error affecting his 

substantial rights. See People v Carines, 460 Mich 750, 763-764; 597 NW2d 130 (1999). 

Accordingly, defendant is not entitled to relief on due process grounds.

C. SENTENCING ISSUES

Next, defendant argues that he is entitled to additional jail credit. We need not address 

this issue because it has become moot. The parties entered into a stipulation, and an amended 

judgment of sentence was subsequently issued that corrected a mistake with respect to the 

calculation of jail credit.

Defendant also asserts that the trial court lacked statutory authority to impose the $60 

DNA testing fee. Defendant claims that under MCL 28.176(3), a DNA cost assessment cannot 

be imposed if law enforcement already has an offender’s DNA on file. Defendant contends that 

his DNA sample was on record before this case arose; therefore, the trial court lacked the 

statutory authority to impose the DNA fee. The right of a trial court to impose costs in a criminal 

case is based on statutory authorization, which entails a question of statutory interpretation that 

we review de novo on appeal. People v Cunningham, 496 Mich 145, 149; 852 NW2d 118 

(2014).
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Because defendant was arrested for committing felonies, the state was mandated to obtain

defendant’s DNA identification profile. MCL 28.176(1)(a).3 And if an individual is ultimately

convicted of a felony or certain enumerated misdemeanors, the court must impose a DNA cost 

assessment of $60. MCL 28.176(5). MCL 28.176(3) provides:

Notwithstanding subsection (1), if at the time the individual is arrested, 

convicted of, or found responsible for the violation the investigating law 

enforcement agency or the department already has a sample from the individual 

that meets the requirements of this act, the individual is not required to provide 

another sample or pay the assessment required under subsection (5).

In this case, the felony complaint directed that a sample of defendant’s DNA be taken 

upon his arrest. There appears to be a box in the felony complaint that can be marked or checked 

if the Michigan State Police had previously obtained a DNA sample from defendant, and the box 

is unmarked. In defendant’s presentence investigation report (PSIR), the probation officer 

stated, “He has a very limited criminal record; in fact, the current offenses represent his first 

known contact with the criminal justice system.”4 Following the guilty verdicts, the trial court 

ordered that defendant provide a DNA sample. The certification, however, was returned by law 

enforcement stating that defendant’s DNA was not obtained because the Department of State 

Police already had a sample of defendant’s DNA. At sentencing, the trial court indicated that 

defendant would be assessed the $60 DNA fee. This fee was included in the amended judgment 

of sentence.

The record supports the prosecution’s contention that defendant’s DNA sample was 

initially taken upon his arrest for the instant charges pursuant to MCL 28.176(1)(a); however, he 

was not charged the $60 fee until he was convicted, which was the proper procedure under MCL 

28.176(5). We construe MCL 28.176(3) as simply precluding the state from taking a defendant’s 

DNA sample twice or making a defendant pay twice for the cost of DNA testing. Accordingly, 

we hold that the trial court did not err in assessing a $60 DNA cost. 

Finally, defendant argues that the trial court’s assessment of court costs pursuant to MCL 

769.1k(1)(b)(iii) constituted an unconstitutional tax and must be vacated. The same 

 3 A DNA sample must also be taken if an “individual is convicted of or found responsible for a 

felony or attempted felony, or any of the following misdemeanors, or local ordinances that are 

substantially corresponding to the following misdemeanors . . . .” MCL 28.176(1)(b). 

4 The PSIR reveals that when defendant was out on bond in relationship to the instant charges, he 

committed an assault and battery on January 23, 2017, and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor 

assault and battery on April 25, 2017, in district court. The PSIR reflects that he was sentenced 

on the date of the plea to 90 days in jail and that the case was still “open for fines/costs.” 

Defendant’s trial in this case was commenced in March 2018. Given that misdemeanor assault 

and battery is not one of the enumerated misdemeanors in MCL 28.176 that would require 

collection of a DNA sample and payment of the $60 fee, we conclude that the district court case 

has no bearing on our analysis.
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constitutional argument regarding MCL 769.1k(1)(b)(iii) was addressed by this Court in People 

v Cameron, 319 Mich App 215; 900 NW2d 658 (2017). The Cameron panel held “that although 

it imposes a tax, MCL 769.1k(1)(b)(iii) is not unconstitutional, and we affirm the trial court's 

assessment of court costs.” Id. at 218. This Court is bound by the holding in Cameron. See 

MCR 7.215(J)(1). As a result, defendant has failed to show that the trial court erred in assessing 

court costs.

We affirm. 

/s/ Brock A. Swartzle

/s/ Jane E. Markey 

/s/ James Robert Redford