A midday shooting on Detroit's west side left a man in his 20s in critical condition yesterday after someone opened fire on his vehicle while three young children were riding with him, police said. The children were not hit, even as bullets tore into the car.
According to FOX2 Detroit, the gunfire broke out around 12:50 p.m. in the area of Puritan and Prevost. Inside the vehicle were a 10-year-old, a 1-year-old and a 7-month-old, all of whom escaped injury.
After the shots were fired, police say the wounded driver managed to get behind the wheel and make it to a nearby business on W. McNichols, where medics met him and took him to a hospital. Investigators have released a photo of a person of interest and are asking neighbors to speak up.
The city’s reward page lists the case as No. 2603030180 and offers a $1,000 reward for information, along with the image detectives say shows the suspect.
Police response and tips
FOX 2 Detroit reports officers say the driver was hit by gunfire and is now hospitalized in critical condition. Detectives are canvassing the neighborhood for surveillance footage and witnesses as they try to piece together what led up to the shooting.
Police are urging anyone with information to call the Detroit Police Organized Crime Division at 313-596-2341 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
Where it happened
ClickOnDetroit noted that after the shooting near Puritan and Prevost, the victim drove to a business in the 15800 block of W. McNichols for help, where medics then transported him to a Metro Detroit hospital.
Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the person in the released photo to contact the Organized Crime Division or submit a tip through the city’s online portal.
Context
City leaders have leaned on a mix of community violence intervention programs and more targeted policing in recent years. Local officials say those efforts have helped push several categories of violent crime lower, even as headline-grabbing incidents like this one continue to rattle neighborhoods.
Spectrum Local News reports that officials credit partnerships and what they call precision policing for recent declines in nonfatal shootings, while acknowledging that preventing every incident remains a stubborn challenge.
