A newly married couple from Michigan were arrested only hours after their wedding because the groom allegedly used a car to intentionally run over and kill one of his groomsmen, according to local police.
The groom, 22-year-old James Shirah of Flint, allegedly ran over his groomsman with an SUV, mortally wounding him, following an argument on 30 August, the Flint police department said on Facebook.
The victim, 29-year-old Terry Taylor Jr, died at a local hospital after being brought there to receive treatment for severe injuries.
“After the wedding, he was involved in an argument which led to him being intentionally struck by a large SUV that was traveling at a high rate of speed and driven by the groom,” police said.
Police did not disclose what Shirah and Taylor had argued about before the deadly incident.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” David Leyton, the Genesee county prosecutor, said to CBS News. “I’ve seen people running over other people but not so soon after a wedding.”
The couple reportedly held their wedding in a local pizzeria before heading to a house where the nuptial celebrations continued, CBS reported.
Taylor was outside of the house hosting the afterparty when Shirah allegedly struck him with his vehicle.
The newly wedded couple reportedly left the scene of the killing and did not report it to police until the next day, Leyton added to CBS. That decision made it “more difficult” for investigators “to unravel what happened”, he said.
Police said they arrested Shirah and booked him on a count of second-degree murder.
Shirah’s bride, 21-year-old Savahna Collier, was also arrested on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact to a felony.
The couple was tentatively scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.