Detroit 11-year-old girl shot in head after home targeted in drive-by shooting for second time
DETROIT (FOX 2) - For the second time in as many months, a home on Detroit's east side was targeted in a drive-by shooting that left the structure riddled with bullet holes.
Tragically, the outcome of the second instance left an 11-year-old girl in critical condition after she was struck in the head. She was rushed to Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit for emergency care as police and the community sought to make sense of the violence.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the victim remains in critical condition. Four suspects are also in custody, chief James White said during a press conference. A fifth suspect could be arrested by the end of the day.
He added the case is related to a larger probe of a car theft ring that the Detroit Police Department has been investigating. Multiple other suspects were taken into custody yesterday.
"This 11-year-old was doing what we want 11 year olds to do, which was being at home, comfortably sleeping at home when these folks decided to make an adult problem a child's problem," White said. "That's just completely unacceptable."
Earlier in the day an assistant chief of Detroit police said there was a lot of anger and frustration over the shooting.
"This is silliness, this is ridiculous," Charles Fitzgerald said, who promised no stone would be unturned during the investigation.
"Do you think these guns make you tough? It doesn't. They make you cowardly and that's exactly what happens - poor little girl, like I said, she should be getting ready to go to school soon," he added.
Over the course of Tuesday, police managed to apprehend several suspects - as well as the firearm believed to have been used in the shooting.
White added that "group activity" may also play a role in the shooting.
The shooting happened in the 6000 block of Pennsylvania near I-94 and Gratiot on Tuesday morning.
Police were called to the scene around 4 a.m. and spent several hours in the area canvassing for shell casings, taking images, and looking for any video footage of the shooting. Officers were able to get their hands on one grainy video that showed a small white or silver SUV parked nearby before two suspects ran out and started shooting.
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According to police, there were around 20 people inside the home when gunfire broke out.
The 11-year-old was the only one who was struck.
Fitzgerald said the shooting was similar to another incident that happened at the same address in December.
"And at that time, same thing. Everyone said they were upstairs, shots fired into the house and nobody was struck then - but there's something going on at this house we need to look into," he said.