DETROIT – A woman out cleaning up her Detroit neighborhood was stopped in her tracks by the sight of a deadly weapon lying in the street.
The woman says someone decided to throw away a gun with no regard for the safety of others, including children who could have found it and picked it up.
The gun was found on Florence Avenue, west of Telegraph Road on Detroit’s west side.
Every Sunday, like clockwork on Detroit’s west side, the woman picks up garbage in the street with her grabber as she tries to ensure the area is sparkling clean.
“Because people drive by and throw their trash out in the street, a lot of liquor bottles get smashed, so I just do it to keep my block clean,” said the woman.
She did not want to be identified because when she picked up the little bag, the gun inside truly scared her, and she wanted to stay as safe as possible.
“I seen it Saturday,” the woman said. “My grandkids were running back and forth, so I told myself in my head that if that’s still there, then I’ll get it Sunday.”
The handgun was found right along the curb and had been there since last Friday (Jan. 13).
“I opened it a little bit, and I seen the gun, and I was like, ‘Holy crap’ with bullets right in the bag,” said the woman.
The weapon found was a full-sized semi-automatic handgun.
The Detroit Police Department came right out to get it and start an investigation into why it was dumped, whether it was used in any crime, and whether it was used to shoot anyone.
“They were grateful I found it and not a kid, as we’ve got like 10 to 15 kids right here on this block,” the woman said. “If it were summertime and that was there, they would’ve found it.”
Another gun was found in a yard after it was seen getting tossed out of a vehicle that was speeding by.
“They found a 9mm laying in the yard right there at the driveway,” the woman said.
