Prosecutor files murder charges in April 2017 shooting outside Salvation Army

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- Several charges have been filed against a suspect in the death of 30-year-old John Conyers in April 2017, according to the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office.

Willie Deandre Hassel, 20, has been charged with open murder, carrying a concealed weapon, conspiracy to deliver a Schedule IV controlled substance and felony firearm.

On April 7, Benton Harbor police were called to the parking lot of the Salvation Army on Michigan Avenue around 8 p.m. after the shooting.

He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators believe Conyers and Hassel got into a dispute of the sale of pills, which escalated into a shooting.

Hassel was arraigned Friday and bail was set at $700,000.

Hassel was also arraigned on charges of unarmed robbery, discharging a weapon in or at a building, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence and careless discharge of a firearm for an alleged incident on December 1, 2016 in Benton Harbor.