DETROIT – Police said a shooter who emerged from the woods and killed a man who was in a car that broke down on the side of the road is still at large 13 years after the murder on Detroit’s west side.
Gavin Early, 23, was in a car with his brother around 1 a.m. on June 25, 2006, when their car broke down on Woodward Avenue near Chicago Boulevard on Detroit’s west side, police said.
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The brothers were on their way to meet with friends, family members said. While they waited for a tow truck, Early and his brother waited in a black Dodge Charger with two friends, according to authorities.
While they sat in the car, the men noticed a person emerge from a wooded area with a hand behind his back, officials said. They tried to put the vehicle in reverse and get away, but the gunman opened fire, striking Early, police said.
He died from his gunshot wounds, according to officials.
Early graduated from Mumford High School in Detroit. While there he won first place in a city-wide art contested and had his work displayed at the Detroit Institute of Art, his family said. He continued his education at WyoTech in Pennsylvania and had plans to open a specialty car shop to combine his love for art and cars, officials said.
Authorities released a composite sketch of what the gunman looked like at the time. He was described as a black man between the ages of 18 and 22 years old who weighed about 170 pounds and was 5 feet, 8 inches tall.
Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $14,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. Callers can remain anonymous.