Shooting in Detroit
The Detroit shooting happened at a party that was taking place on and about a basketball court, and while only one of the 10 victims has died, one other is in critical condition and two are in serious condition. Local Channel Four in Detroit reports there were some 400 people there, including children.
Asst. Police Chief Steve Dolunt said “through the grace of God, no children were shot.” The area the shooting took place in has buildings abandoned, others occupied, and a church is across the street. Seven men and three women were shot and police said the deceased was shot multiple times.
The person who died is a male whose name has not yet been released. While police said they do not have a motive, they believe one person was the target and the others happened to be in the way. They did not say if the dead man, 20, was the target. All the other victims are in hospital.
Philadelphia shooting
In Philadelphia, police Lieutenant John Walker said the shooting there was “just a terrible situation.” Ten were shot, including an 18-month-old baby (some reports say the baby was younger) and a 10-year-old boy; they were shot by a man wielding a sawed-off shotgun.
There was a block party going on and police said someone down the street simply started shooting in the direction of it. Miraculously none of the 10 were killed and all are in hospital in stable condition. Initially the number shot was reported to be seven. Police have no motive.
“It appears that everybody was here for the picnic and everybody just ran,” Lt. Walker said. “It looks like they just randomly fired down the street and just hit whoever was in their way.”
These shootings come on the heels of the killing of nine black parishioners at a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina. The 21-year-old white male supremest believed responsible has been captured and charged with nine counts of murder. It is being viewed by police as a hate crime.
