Detroit shooting spree suspect was arrested after tip from 'somebody close' to assailant, police say

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Detroit mayor said it was an individual close to the shooter that was allegedly targeting victims randomly on Sunday that helped police arrest him and end threats of an active shooter on the city's west side.

Mike Duggan and Chief James White said "somebody close" to the suspect responded after he made his plea and it was that person's input that led to the suspect being taken into custody. Cmdr. Michael McGinnis with the police department said the tip came in hours after the fourth victim was struck by gunfire, which happened around 7 a.m.

"Yesterday was the Detroit Police Department at its finest," Duggan said. "It was a really remarkable display of unity."

Three people were killed and a fourth was injured after an armed man wandering the area of Wyoming, near Seven Mile in the early hours on Aug. 28. White said the suspect is 19 years old and may have been dealing with a mental illness.

During a press conference Monday afternoon, White said police began treating the situation as an active shooter scene when they observed the shell casings from the scenes as all coming from the same firearm. 

Several hours later, police broadcasted images of the suspect, which was followed by a tip. "Along with other information, we got a search warrant which we used to safely take the suspect into custody without incident," McGinnis said. 

Police also found the firearm believed to have been used in the shooting while serving the search warrant.

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White declined to speculate on any motive or other details that might be relevant to the investigation as to not jeopardize the work that will be overseen by the prosecutor. However, they did give a timeline of what happened before the suspect was arrested:

Around 4:45 a.m., 28-year-old Chayne Lee, who was in the area of Seven Mile and Wyoming, was approached by the assailant who shot him unprovoked. The suspect walked away, then came back and fired more shots. 

"There is nothing I can do to ease the pain, and that's what hurts the most. I can't ease anybody's pain, that's what hurts the most," said Myha Lee, Chayne's mother. "For somebody to hurt him in that way – he did not deserve that no matter what he did in his life."

Chayne leaves behind a son.

"He had a son who will never see him again and doesn't understand why he's gone," Myha siad. 

No 911 call was made after that shooting.

Around 5:15 a.m. and three blocks later, police got the first 911 call about the shooter when a woman was found with gunshot wounds. The victim has not been identified but was found in the area of Margareta Avenue and Wyoming.

Police ask if anyone knows of a Black woman in her 40s from the area that hasn't responded to messages to please contact them. 

A neighbor that walked by the second scene and continued walking eventually came across the dead male and told police about a second fatal victim. 

While investigating the scene, another shots fired report came in from the area of 19800 block of Livernois. The victim, Lori Ploszewski-Brisco, was waiting for the bus when the suspect walked by her and with no provocation, turned around and fired multiple shots, stepped away and then returned and fired more shots. The mother of five was waiting for a bus to get to work.

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The fourth victim was shot a few blocks away at 7:10 a.m. on Pennington Street. The 80-year-old man was walking his dog when the suspect shot both of them. Police said quick action by neighbors helped the victim survive. 

Based on the proximity of the shootings, the timing of the incidents, and the shell casings, police by then determined they were dealing with someone wielding the same firearm. 

The investigation involved both federal agencies from the ATF and FBI, as well as Michigan State Police.