DETROIT – Detroit Police are investigating after a 4-year-old boy was shot and killed on the city’s west side.
ORIGINAL STORY: 4-year-old boy shot, killed on Detroit’s west side
The 4-year-old boy has been identified by family as Nathanial Mesiah Roby-Townsend. He died when someone fired shots into his family’s home on Birwood Street, near Seven Mile Road just after midnight Thursday.
Michigan State Police troopers had searched the area with K-9 units for evidence.
Family members said the children were in bed when someone drove by and opened fire, hitting Nathaniel. He was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
His Grandmother, Pansy Glaster, said he had gotten up for a late night snack and was walking toward the back of the house where the rest of the children were when the shots were fired.
“We thought he had already made it to the back, but he never made it to the back with the rest of the kids,” Glaster said. “He was shot. He was shot in the head.”
Police have been combing the area and speaking with neighbors to gather potential surveillance camera evidence.
Police have identified the possible vehicle the shooter was in as a white GMC minivan.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detroit Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 313-596-2260, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak Up.