DETROIT – A man is accused of hiding two guns behind an electrical pole in the grass median of 8 Mile Road before Detroit police arrived and found three shooting victims outside a car at a crash scene.
Police called to crash scene
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Officers were called Nov. 23 to the area of east 8 Mile Road and Brock Avenue on reports of someone with gunshot wounds.
When police arrived, they said they found a Chevrolet Cruze that had crashed into a tree. Three shooting victims from the vehicle were identified: William Blevin-Hailey, 30, his brother and a third person, according to authorities.
Police said Blevin-Hailey was sitting on the ground outside the back passenger side of the Cruze. His brother was lying in the grass median of 8 Mile Road, and the other man was sitting against a tree, officials said.
Investigation revealed that Blevin-Hailey’s brother had been driving the Cruze, the other man had been in the front passenger seat and Blevin-Hailey had been in the back, authorities said.
Blevin-Hailey’s brother had been shot in the left rib cage area and was taken to a nearby hospital immediately due to the severity of his injuries, Detroit police said.
Blevin-Hailey was taken to a hospital by EMS for a neck injury, officials said.
The third man refused medical treatment, according to authorities.
Guns found by pole
An eyewitness spoke to officers at the scene and reported seeing part of the shooting, but not the other vehicle involved, police said. While going to help the victims, the witness saw one of them take guns and hide them behind a nearby electrical pole in the median of 8 Mile Road, according to authorities.
The witness pointed out the electrical pole, and officers said they went over to find two Glock handguns lying on the ground with the barrels facing each other. They were identified as a Glock 23 Gen5 .40-caliber and a Glock 29 10 mm.
Bag searched
Police said the man who had refused medical treatment was found sitting on the ground next to a black bag. He agreed to let officers check the contents, they said.
Here’s what police said they found inside the bag:
- 368 narcotic pills, primarily containing oxycodone, based on their markings.
- Two baby bottles containing a green liquid mixture consistent with promethazine/codeine.
- Three prescription bottles of promethazine syrup.
- $11,000 cash.
Surveillance video
Detroit police reviewed surveillance video from the scene, and it appears to show one of the men walking from the Cruze to place objects near the electrical pole where the guns were found, according to authorities.
The video then shows that person walking back to the Cruze and collapsing next to it before officers arrived, police said.
Since Blevin-Hailey’s brother was lying in the median with a serious gunshot wound and the third man was wearing bright-colored clothing, officials believe Blevin-Hailey is the one who placed the guns behind the pole. Police said that conclusion also lines up with where Blevin-Hailey was found when they arrived at the scene.
Criminal charge
Officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the two guns were manufactured outside of Michigan, meaning they traveled in and affected interstate commerce.
A check of Blevin-Hailey’s criminal history revealed a felony conviction for second-degree home invasion in Wayne County in 2010 and a felony conviction for delivering/manufacturing a controlled substance in Macomb County in 2011.
The criminal complaint concludes that there is probable cause to charge Blevin-Hailey with felon in possession of a firearm.
