Emotional crowd gathers after Detroit triple murder; police say it was drug house

DETROIT (WJBK) - Detroit Police were investigating the murders of three people on the city's west side Monday morning, but were forced to call in reinforcements to try and diffuse a tense situation.

Crowds gathered around the home on Brace Street after three young men were killed inside the home around 5:20 a.m. Monday.

It's believed that 25-year-old Deangelo Smith Owens, 15-year-old Jaden Dorris, and 21-year-old Eric Durham. Owens and Dorris were sleeping while Durham was found dead near the side door.

As family members started to arrive, Assistant Police Chief Steve Dolunt was delivering the bad news. Emotions mounted as more family and friends arrived and heard the bad news. Eventually, it erupted into fights that included police scuffling with bystanders.

According to Dolunt, the home is a drug home and was recently the subject of a raid.

"This is a known narcotics location - we've raided it twice I believe in the last month," Dolunt said. "I'd say it's targeted, it's not random."

Smith's mother, Angel Owens Brown, says the murders are not drug-related.

"What was my son's work? He was a hustler - whatever he could make money in - that's what he done - but he was not out here selling dope," Brown said.

She insists that the murders involved a friend of her son's and that it started after a get-together on Sunday afternoon.

"No one was looking for no one - one of his friends had a beef. My son happened to let his friends come over and they had their little smoke out and their drinks - whoever was in the house had something to do with it. The people came for them, came to my child's house, my son ends up as an innocent victim being killed," she said.

Three young men are dead and police are working to find them. But if they don't, the streets will.

"They don't do it there's going to be a lot of vigilantes, going to be a lot of hurting out here and it don't need to be," Brown said.

Another relative of Smith echoes her sentiments and said the community needs to come together.

Police ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.