Clinton Twp. man sentenced for causing gunfight in downtown Port Huron

A St. Clair County prosecutor told a judge Monday that innocent people feared for their lives when they witnessed a gunfight in downtown Port Huron in November 2021 that resulted in a bystander being struck by stray bullets. 

"We had one young woman sitting in her car as bullets were hitting and breaking out her windshield. There was another man who was standing there when a bullet went whistling past his head and shattered his window," Senior Assistant Prosecutor Joshua Sparling said. "These people are out trying to enjoy our community. They don't need to find themselves in the middle of the OK Corral because (Marcel Woods) has some beef with some guy that he jumped while he was walking outside of a bar."

Woods appeared in St. Clair County Circuit Court for a hearing Monday during which Judge Cynthia Lane sentenced him to a minimum of five years, nine months and a maximum of nine years, six months in prison.

Woods, of Clinton Township, previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon, two counts of felonious assault, two counts of felony firearm and habitual offender second notice.

Two counts of assault with intent to murder, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and possession of ammunition by a felon were dismissed as part of a plea deal. A count of discharging a firearm in or at a building was dismissed due to a lack of evidence to support the charge, Sparling has said. 

Lane said Woods' behavior caused great emotional trauma to innocent bystanders.

“I just can’t imagine what those poor people who were caught in the middle of this felt," she said. 

Lane said Woods must learn to control his impulses and his anger in order to change. 

"Up to this point in your young life, which at this point is only 31 years old. So far you pretty much wasted your life," Lane said. "And you'll continue wasting it unless you change."

Joseph Kanan, Woods' attorney, said while Woods was the person who started a physical confrontation in the East Quay Lot near The Roche Bar Nov. 14, 2021, he didn't fire the first a shot.

The other man, who said he acted in self defense, according to court testimony, fired first. That man was not charged.

Kanan told Lane that Woods, 31, is a respectful, decent person who is a father and has family support. Woods' family filled half the court benches during his hearing, and several told him they loved him as he left the courtroom. 

"What happened on that day is inconsistent with what I have dealt with," Kanan said, referring to Woods' character. 

Woods apologized to the bystanders and his family for putting them through the ordeal. 

"I didn’t intend for it to go like this," he said. 

Sparling said Woods lied to police during the initial investigation in an attempt to deflect blame and has a history of violent offenses. 

Sparling also noted Woods should not have been in possession of a handgun due to an August 2021 conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. 

According to testimony during his plea hearing, Woods was at The Roche Bar in Port Huron, and was aware of someone with whom he had a dispute was inside the bar. 

Woods waited outside the bar and started a fight. In defense, the man pulled out a gun and fired it. 

Woods and several others fled the area and got into a vehicle in the nearby East Quay parking lot. When attempting to leave in the vehicle, he made eye contact with the other man and shot at him.

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.