Police: Lansing teen used felon's gun in fatal shooting

LANSING – A convicted felon has been charged with possessing the gun a 13-year-old boy used to accidentally kill himself earlier this month.

Alfred Otis Tate, 51, was arraigned Wednesday in 54A District Court on two gun charges —possession of a weapon by a felon and felony firearm.

Records show Tate recently lived at the house on Ada street, where Branden Holbert, a 6th-grader at Lansing's Pattengill Academy, accidentally shot himself in the head with the handgun. The incident happened the afternoon of Nov. 7.

Tate's connection to Branden was not released by police.

Tate is being held at the Ingham County Jail on multiple charges, including drug charges not related to the shooting.

Tate's criminal record in Michigan dates back to the 1980s. His felony convictions include delivery/manufacture of narcotics, retail fraud and larceny, records show.

A preliminary hearing in the gun possession case, which determines if there is enough evidence for a trial, is set for Dec. 4.