Father asks for prayers for family

The father of a man accused of shooting and killing his pregnant cousin asked the community to keep his family in its prayers.

Tiffany Ross, 30, died last week, a month after she was shot while sitting in a vehicle near 33rd Avenue and Erskine Street. Police said she was not the intended target. Ross lost the unborn baby she was carrying about a week after the Feb. 10 shooting.

Michael Ross Sr. spoke briefly after a his son's Tuesday morning court appearance. Bail remained at $250,000 for Michael L. Ross Jr., whose charge was upgraded to second-degree murder. He would have to post 10 percent — or $25,000 — to be released pending trial.

Michael Ross Jr., 26, also is charged with use of a weapon to commit a felony and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He initially was charged with first-degree assault.

Ross Jr. has said he didn't have a gun that day and couldn't have fired the shot that hit his cousin. He said he fled when someone started shooting at his car, and he didn't know that his cousin was nearby or that she was hit.

Ross said police blame him because of his criminal past, which includes a 4½-year stint in prison for robbery, attempted robbery and use of a deadly weapon.

Michael Ross Sr. said the family still is seeking donations to help pay for funeral expenses for Tiffany Ross. Arrangements have not yet been made. The family has set up a fund at all Security National Bank branches for donations.

"I just wonder how they can charge him when the shooters are still out there," Michael Ross Sr. said. "Her death is a void that cannot be replaced. . . All of this shooting has to stop."

Prosecutor Shelly Stratman has said police have gathered sufficient evidence from different scenes to support the charges against Michael Ross Jr.

Police continue to search for a second car they believe was involved in a rolling gun battle that day. That vehicle is believed to be a silver Pontiac G6, possibly with a black car bra.

Michael Ross' girlfriend Takema Franklin, 24, is being sought by authorities. Beadle said a warrant was issued charging her with being an accessory to a felony. She faced that charge previously but it was dismissed last month after a witness failed to show up at court for a hearing.

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