Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The man charged in a fatal shooting in downtown Howell has been convicted by a local jury.

24-year-old Reese Hammie was found guilty in the shooting death of 20-year-old Oghenevwede “Wede” Okagbare at a home on the 400 block of West Street in downtown Howell on August 1st of 2023.

Hammie had two cases before a local jury earlier this month for separate incidents/offenses on the same date, per court records. His trial lasted eleven days, and the verdicts were handed down November 18th. Jurors deliberated for roughly two and a half hours.

Hammie was found guilty of 1st degree murder and obstruction of justice. In the other case, Hammie was found guilty of home invasion and domestic violence, but not guilty on a charge of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder.

Okagbare was a junior at Michigan State University studying computer science. Family members said he was visiting his girlfriend’s home in Howell, when Hammie shot him six times. Police previously described the incident as a “tragic and senseless shooting death”.

Hammie will be sentenced January 9th in Livingston County Circuit Court.