Sterling Heights alligator • Northern Lights possible in Michigan • 3 teens shot after Detroit fight

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Detroit police say three teens were walking away from a fight at a park Thursday night when someone shot them.

The victims - 15, 16, and 17 - were involved in a fight at a park near Puritan and Wisconsin before 8:15 p.m. That fight didn't involve guns, but someone had a gun, and they came after the victims afterward.

Police said the victims were walking on Puritan when someone in a silver sedan started shooting at them.

All three victims were taken to a hospital and are expected to survive.

Detroit Police Chief James White said he believes the case will be solved, and does not believe there is a threat to anyone else.

"We're confident that no one else is at risk in our community, and it's isolated to this fight," he said.

Northern Lights chances in Michigan

The whole state could catch the Northern Lights this weekend.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a G-3 - strong - Geomagnetic Storm Watch for this weekend. According to NOAA, the aurora may be visible as low as Pennsylvania from Iowa to Oregon.

As of Friday morning, the Northern Lights view line does not include any part of Michigan for Friday night. However, the view line encompasses the entire state for Saturday night, with the greatest chance of catching a glimpse of the aurora in the Upper Peninsula.

Saturday downstate is expected to be clear, though the forecast is currently showing rain late in the UP, which could hinder seeing the lights.

This chance of seeing the aurora comes after the SPWC detected two solar flares that sparked coronal mass ejections. The second, which was detected on Thursday, was rated as the strongest solar flare in about seven years. Flares can lead to geomagnetic storms that result in visible Northern Lights.

Sterling Heights woman finds alligator outside home

It's not something you're supposed to see in Michigan…

A Sterling Heights woman walked outside Thursday morning to an alligator in the driveway of her home near Ryan and M-59.

"Everyone is like, 'There is an alligator under your car,' and I’m like, seriously?" Marysoul Mousahurawi said. "I was in disbelief, like in Michigan?" 

Police showed up first, confused, and questioning if they're expected to just grab the animal's tail. Then, backup from Reptarium Zoo in Utica was called to wrangle the animal, which was likely someone's pet. 

It isn't clear if the gator was dumped or escaped its home, but police are now looking for its owner because owning an alligator in the city is illegal. 

The gator is safe at the zoo.

Video shows fatal police-involved crash

Video from a security camera shows just how fast Warren police were driving when they hit a Dodge Durango, killing two men.

Cedric Hayden Jr., 34, and Dejuan Pettis, 33, were turning from Schoenherr Road to Prospect Avenue early Monday when they were hit by a Warren police vehicle. The force of the crash pushed the Durango on its side and killed the best friends. The two officers in the police vehicle were hurt. 

"I caught that crash, and it really just hurt me real bad to see it," said a witness whose security camera captured the crash. "When I first looked at it to see how fast that car was going."

Another witness said they heard what sounded like an explosion.

The video shows that the police did not have their lights on as they sped on Schoenherr.

"That’s the key issue," said the person whose camera caught the video. "If he would’ve seen the lights, he would have never turned in front of the police. So they seem like they was doing at least 80, 90 miles an hour."

The families are now suing.

Michigan voting guide

A lot has happened in the four years since Michigan voters went to the polls to elect a president. As the Covid pandemic faded from public view, economic uncertainty over inflation and reproductive rights took over the mantle.

In Michigan, electric vehicles and labor unrest fueled a massive autoworker strike as concerns over political violence escalated. Many of these themes will play a role in the talking points of this year's biggest races.

When they cast their vote this November, people will find some similar names on their ballot - as well as some new ones. But what hasn't changed in the political landscape this 2024 election is the significance that battleground states like Michigan will play - both for president and for Congress.

Michigan's 13 electoral votes are up for grabs in a tight race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, an open seat in the U.S. Senate could sway the balance of power in the chamber, while a rematch in a hotly-contested district in metro Detroit could influence control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Prepare for the election with our voting guide.

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Daily Forecast

Aside from a chance for rain Sunday, it will be a beautiful fall weekend.

What else we're watching

1. Detroit police said they seized fentanyl, cocaine and two firearms during a large drug bust in the 3300 block of E. Willis Street earlier this week.
2. A Detroit bus driver who was convicted of killing a second pedestrian was sentenced to jail on Thursday. Geraldine Johnson will serve the first six months of her sentence in jail after the 2023 crash that killed Janice Bauer.
3. Sidetrack Bookshop, a store that quickly became a beloved spot for readers, is expanding this fall.
4. A 13-year-old girl accused of killing her sister in Taylor could be sentenced as an adult if she is convicted. The teen is being charged as a juvenile with adult designation - which gives the judge flexibility to sentence her as a juvenile or an adult - after the fatal stabbing.
5. Looking to see the Tigers in the American League Divisional Series. Get tickets here.

Port strike suspended until Jan. 15

After some 45,000 dockworkers at East and Gulf Coast ports went on a strike that could have caused shortages and higher prices for consumers the longer it went on, a deal was reached to suspend the strike.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) suspended its three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract, according to the Associated Press.

The union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, said in a joint statement that they have reached a tentative agreement on wages.

The ILA went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at 36 ports – which stretched from Maine to Texas. It came at the peak of the holiday season at the ports, which handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States, according to the Associated Press.