St. Clair Shores man shot and beaten in home invasion

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WJBK) - A young man was shot and struck with a gun as two thieves ransack and robbed his apartment.

A pile of broken glass remains outside the back door of a home on the quiet street of Euclid in St. Clair Shores Thursday. The young man who lives here, lies in the hospital.

"The way they took him on the stretcher he was in the fetal position," said Russell Stambaugh, a neighbor. "I didn't know if he was going to be okay or not."

The 21-year-old who neighbors identify as Joe Blystone, has been living in the upper level unit of the home converted into three apartments. Neighbors say he's been living there a couple of months after his mother moved to Florida.

"He had friends come in not all the time," Stambaugh said. "But something like this you never expect it to happen."

St. Clair Shores police say around 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning two people only described as a white man and black woman, broke into the home, headed upstairs and robbed the young man. Police say the man hit Blystone with the butt of a shotgun then neighbors say they heard a scuffle, and a single gunshot.

Police say the young man was shot once in the back as the two suspects grabbed what they could and left him there. Neighbors say Blystone was able to call 911 along with his neighbor below.

"Next thing I know there's eight police cars surrounding the house," Stambaugh said. "She got a towel on his back and stopped the bleeding."

"If she wasn't home, he probably would have ended up dying."

The window is boarded up and neighbors can't understand why targeted.

"He works at a roofing company, he's quiet and never bothers anybody," Stambaugh said.

Police say the young man is now in stable condition and has undergone surgery.

St. Clair Shores police are not releasing information at this time.

Blystone's neighbors are simply relieved the young man made it out alive.