A shootout between two people outside a fried chicken restaurant on Detroit's east side left one person injured Friday evening, and police say the victim is now refusing to cooperate with the investigation into what happened. The gunfire erupted just before 7 p.m. outside S&T Fish and Chicken, sending at least one person to be treated for injuries from the exchange.
Detroit police were called to the restaurant on E. McNichols Street at about 6:53 p.m. for a reported shooting, according to fox2detroit.com. Officials said the shooting happened in the 11000 block of East McNichols Road, as reported by CBS News. Police have not disclosed the ages of the two people who exchanged gunfire.
Witnesses Say Victim Fired First
According to police, witnesses at the scene said the victim pulled a gun first and fired at an unknown person, who then returned fire and struck the victim. The station's report indicates the injured man has since declined to help investigators piece together what led to the confrontation outside the restaurant. Police have not said what sparked the initial dispute between the two people involved.
The lack of cooperation leaves a significant gap in the investigation, since the only person known to have been present and injured is the one police say instigated the gunfire. It remains unclear whether the second person involved was also hurt or has been identified.
Tip Lines Offer Conflicting Numbers
Detroit police are seeking additional witnesses to the shootout, and the two available accounts point people toward slightly different resources. Per the fox2detroit.com report, anyone with additional information can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP, submit a tip through Detroit Rewards TV, or reach the Ninth Precinct Detective unit at 313-596-5940. CBS News, however, reported that people with information can call Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-773-2587.
Broader Context on Detroit Gun Violence
The shooting outside S&T Fish and Chicken comes as Detroit officials have pointed to citywide declines in gun violence tied to the city's ShotStoppers community violence intervention program. A University of Michigan evaluation found the city saw a 45% decrease in homicides and nonfatal shootings during the three-year period after the program launched, according to University of Michigan News. In ShotStoppers' second year, designated intervention zones saw a 33% decrease in homicide victims and a 38% decrease in nonfatal shooting victims compared with the prior 12 months, while the rest of the city saw smaller drops of 12% and 26%, respectively, over the same stretch.
Detroit invested $11 million in the program using American Rescue Plan Act funds between 2023 and 2025, per the University of Michigan analysis. Researchers were careful to note that the evaluation cannot show a definitive link between the intervention programming and the reductions in violence, a caveat that applies to the broader citywide data and not specifically to Friday's shooting on McNichols.
In a separate incident also reported on Detroit's east side, a person was shot and killed early Friday morning near Cheshire Street and Moross Road, according to WXYZ. No connection between that shooting and the one outside S&T Fish and Chicken has been reported. Police continue to ask anyone with information about the McNichols shootout to come forward.
