Father kills gunman who shot son during attempted robbery in SW Detroit

DETROIT – It was supposed to be a simple transaction of buying a video game Thursday night in Southwest Detroit.

However, police said the suspect tried to rob the victim in front of his own house. It's unclear if the two knew each other before this transaction, but when the victim's father saw what was going on he jumped into action.

• The gunman was killed during a scuffle with the teen's father.
• The 15-year-old boy also was shot in his face. He is expected to be OK.
• It's unclear if the father will face charges. He was being held for questioning.

In a matter of just seconds, people in this Southwest Detroit neighborhood were caught in the middle of a shooting. The shooting was right in the middle of two homes at Honorah and Pitt streets.

Lillian Mejia didn't know where the bullets came from, so she hid.

"I said, 'Oh my god. A shooting, a shooting, where's the shooting?'" she said.  

Someone was pointing a gun at a 15-year-old boy. 

"What I was told is (the father) saw the robbery in progress" said Cpt. Russell Solano, of the Detroit Police Department.

Instantly, the father ran outside.

"The father comes out of the house, sees what's going on. They fight, the gun drops to the ground. Dad picks it up and fired shots, striking the perp," said Solano.

Officers said the dad shot the suspect, who died. But in the middle of the chaos his son also was shot in the face.

"There's no evidence the father shot his own son," said Solano.

Detroit police say they believe the robber shot the 15-year-old, but the time frame is unclear.  

"There were no shots mentioned prior to the scuffle," said Solano.

So here's what we know: Early investigation shows the 15-year-old and the suspect met outside the home for the sale of a video game. But instead of buying it, the suspect tried to rob the victim with a gun. But didn't see the father inside.

The victim is recovering.

"From what I was told, he's going to be OK. He's going to make it," said Solano.

That is good news that the teen is expected to survive. Police spent most of last night investigating. We're told five family members were inside the home at the time of the shooting.

It's unclear if the father will face charges. He was being held for questioning.