A quiet Canton roadway became the scene of a deadly shooting early Monday morning, as local police launched a death investigation that rattled the Michigan community. According to The Detroit News, officers responded to a call before 1 a.m. in the 39700 block of Koppernick Road, where a man's body was discovered near a red Chevrolet Equinox.
Neighbor Jim Davison, 71, initially mistook the sound for fireworks, but felt something was amiss upon witnessing the vehicle's headlights in the middle of the road. "So, I took a little ride up there to see and noticed the body (on the roadway) and called 911," he relayed in an interview with WXYZ. The Canton Township police, joined by the Michigan State Police, remained on site until around 1 p.m., causing road closures and traffic diversions.
The victim's identity has yet to be officially confirmed, but a friend of the deceased told 7 Action News who they believed it was. The vehicle was registered to a person with the same name, with an address approximately a quarter mile from where the shooting took place.
Despite the disturbance, Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh assured the public of their safety with no known threat to the community, in an email obtained by Hometownlife.com. "Please know there is no known threat to our community," Baugh stated. Further adding to residents' concerns, Michael Parmelee, 64, happened upon the crime scene while walking his dog, telling The Detroit News, "I would like to know more before I say this is shocking."
The Canton police remain tight-lipped about the investigation details, and have not yet taken anyone into custody. The department urges anyone with information to contact the Canton police at 734-394-5400 or reach out to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
