An Inkster man who was shot last week in Sylvan Township remains in critical condition in the University of Michigan Hospital.

The man was shot in the face with a .357 magnum handgun last Thursday night in a field on Sager Road near M-52, police say.

Michigan State Police Detective Patrick Moore said troopers responded to the scene at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday after the 21-year-old victim called 911.

He apparently made it to a nearby residence to use the phone.

Police immediately got some useful information from the victim.

"He was able to identify the person that shot him," Moore said.

He also was able to describe a suspect vehicle, Moore said.

Five Chelsea firefighters responded at 11:02 p.m. on the medical call, and waited for police to secure the scene before going in, Sgt. Matt Tuttle said yesterday.

"We found the man laying down between a house and a tree," Tuttle said. "He was conscious and able to answer our questions."

Firefighters put the injured man in a neck brace and on a backboard. Tuttle, who is also a paramedic with Huron Valley Ambulance, drove the ambulance, while two paramedics and a Sheriff’s deputy rode in back with the patient.

Police spent the rest of the night interviewing family members and witnesses, Moore said, and had three suspects in custody by 6 a.m. Friday.

Police say the shooting suspect is an 18-year-old man. A 19-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman also were arrested, Moore said.

The trio were arraigned Sunday on charges of assault with intent to murder, conspiracy to assault with intent to murder and four lesser charges.

"They were all charged with the same (thing)," Moore said.

All three suspects are from Inkster.

Moore said the shooting suspect and victim were friends with each other, and may have been involved in criminal activities. The shooting suspect apparently believed the victim was talking to others about those activities.

"They just wanted to take him to a rural area to kill him," Moore said.

A .357 caliber bullet struck the man in the side of the face, Moore said, and entered his throat, then lodged inside his body.

"I think they thought he was dead," Moore said.

Police have confiscated the weapon and a vehicle.

The suspects are lodged in the Washtenaw County Jail on a $1 million bond.