1 shot during Walled Lake neighbor dispute • Kamala Harris townhall recap • Oxford HS shooting case update

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Current vice president and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris visited Michigan on Thursday for a townhall where she answered questions ahead of the election.

Oprah Winfrey joined Harris for the United for America livestream event. 

The event, supported by grassroots groups like WinWithBlackWomen, Swifties for Kamala, and White Dudes for Harris, also featured an A List of celebrities and everyday Americans taking up virtual seats.

"I have to tell you this," Harris said. "There’s so much that I love about our campaign, because it really is about the people. And I look around at these screens, I look at who is in the room, and this is America."

Oprah Winfrey led the discussion focusing on several hot-button issues such as the increasing cost of living to abortion and battling her GOP rival, former President Donald Trump.

"There is so much at stake in this election, and ultimately the question before us is 'what kind of country do we want to live in?'" Harris said. "The beauty of a Democracy - as long as we can hang onto it - each of us has the power to answer that question."

1 shot in Walled Lake neighbor dispute

A suspect barricaded himself inside a Walled Lake home for hours after shooting a neighbor early Friday.

Police responded to a condominium complex on Dover Hill just after 4 a.m. after neighbors reported hearing shots. A victim who was shot was taken to a hospital, where their condition is currently unknown.

Details ae limited, but police said that a neighbor dispute led to the barricaded situation.

Hours later, police were at the scene using loudspeakers to try to get the suspect to surrender. Just after 8:35 a.m., the suspect surrendered.

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office advised residents to avoid Decker between Maple and Pontiac Trail.

One Detroit Violence Reduction Partnership shares summer crime stats

Summer crime rates were down in Detroit, according to officials who are part of the One Detroit Violence Reduction Partnership.

Officials announced the results Thursday of its enhanced summer enforcement efforts - especially in the 8th and 9th Precincts with Brightmoor on the west side and in the Seven Mile and Gratiot area on the east side.

"As of Labor Day we have had almost 21% fewer homicides then last year," said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison. "Make no mistake. Violent crime is down. It is down dramatically. This is great news and shows that we are moving in the right direction."

The reduction in non-fatal shootings is even more dramatic, and almost a 25% drop in non-fatal shootings. In terms of lives impacted, this means that there have been 182 fewer victims of violence in Detroit than there were at this time a year ago.

Despite this dip in crime, officials who have been tasked with getting the crime rate down say their work is not done yet.

Court rules in favor of Oxford High in school shooting case

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Oxford school district on Thursday in a lawsuit that seeks to hold employees partly responsible for a shooting that killed four students and wounded others in 2021.

The court, in a 3-0 opinion, said lawyers for the families have not offered evidence that shows Oxford staff were the "proximate cause" of the tragedy.

While staff had expressed concerns about the Oxford shooter, and a meeting was held with his parents on the day of the shooting, it was the teenager who "made the definite and premeditated decision" to take a gun to Oxford High School, the appeals court said.

The court affirmed a lower court decision that said governmental immunity applied. Under Michigan law, immunity is a high hurdle to overcome in lawsuits against a public body or staff. Lawyers typically have to show that gross negligence occurred.

The Ven Johnson law firm is representing the parents in the case. Attorney Chris Desmond says the fight isn't over and plans to take it to the Supreme Court.

Weekend event guide

Fall starts this weekend, and there are plenty of harvest-themed event to help you celebrate.

Fun events include the Heritage Celebration in Farmington Hills, a Haunted Harvest in Westland, and HarvestFest in Detroit.

Beyond the fall fun, the weather will be perfect for general outdoor events, like the Funky Ferndale Art Fair and the Crafts on the Clinton Fundraiser.

See the full event guide. 

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What else we're watching

1. Loved ones and community members will say goodbye today to Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Officer Dan Kerstetter after he was killed in a crash last week.
2. A Warren woman's dog was attacked by a neighbor's dog, and it was all caught on camera. Nichol Street said her neighbor has vicious dogs, and something needs to be done about it.
3. Eastern Market officials and those holding events there are trying to return to normal after a fatal shooting during a Detroit Lions tailgate.
4. A caregiver, Essence Cross, who was charged after an 81-year-old victim was robbed and attacked in Grosse Pointe Park will be sentenced Friday.
5. Two men who were wrongfully convicted and exonerated after serving several years in prison are still fighting for others who they say could be in prison for the wrong reasons – all because of one detective. Now they want justice.

Titan sub malfunctioned just prior to Titanic dive

The scientific director of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year, killing everyone on board, revealed that the sub experienced a malfunction prior to its fatal dive.

Steven Ross appeared before a U.S. Coast Guard panel investigating the incident on Thursday and recalled that the sub experienced a platform issue just days before the Titan was set to dive to the Titanic wreckage site. 

A platform issue caused the experimental submersible to send passengers tumbling about.

It took an hour to get them out of the water, Ross said.

The submersible pilot, OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, crashed into bulkheading during the malfunction.

"One passenger was hanging upside down. The other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap," Ross said, adding that he did not know if an assessment of the Titan hull was performed after the incident.