DETROIT – A gunman ambushed three family members as they slept Saturday morning at a home on Detroit’s west side, police said.
Stricken with grief, the matriarch of the family was carried from the residence after her husband, daughter and grandson were killed.
Robert Pittman, 60, Michelle Davis-Asaka, 43, and Darrion Jones, 23, were identified as the victims shot to death.
Six people were at the home in the 16600 block of Rutherford near McNichols and Greenfield roads, when the gunman kicked in the door about 6 a.m. Once inside, family members said he pulled out a weapon.
Davis-Asaka ran into her father’s room, where she and Pittman were both killed.
Jones died trying to protect his cousin, who hid in a closet.
"My little cousin saved me -- for what? To die in front of me?" the cousin said.
Police took a 20-year-old man into custody in connection with the shooting.
The family said they’re making plans to care for the many young children left behind.
A fourth person, a 27-year-old man, was wounded in a shootout with the gunman, Detroit police said. At last check, he was listed as stable at a nearby hospital.