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Detroit police make arrest in fatal shooting of 8-year-old boy

DETROIT – An 8-year-old was killed in an accidental shooting Saturday on Detroit’s west side.

Police said the child had found an unsecured gun inside the house.

It happened at about 10:30 p.m. at a home on Ward Avenue, between Midland Street and Pilgrim Avenue.

A neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said they heard that the gun was discovered by a child after the adults had went to bed. After they heard the gun shot, the neighbor stopped everything in an effort to save the child’s life.

“I ran across the street. She was sitting on the porch holding him he was bleeding from his head,” they said. “I called 911. They were advising him to see if he had a pulse and he had a pulse. I tilted his head to keep his airwaves clear.”

The boy was taken to a hospital, where they died from their injuries.

Detroit Police Chief James White called the incident “senseless.”

In the meantime, it’s a scene that will be hard to forget.

“The scream. The boy’s mom screaming. You could tell something we really wrong with her,” the neighbor recalled. “I mean it was just blood curdling. She was shrieking,”

Police identified the gun as an illegal weapon, leading to the arrest, but as of Monday, no charges have been filed.


About the Author
Victor Williams headshot

Victor Williams joined Local 4 News in October of 2019 after working for WOIO in Cleveland, OH, WLOX News in Biloxi, MS, and WBBJ in Jackson, TN. Victor developed a love for journalism after realizing he was a great speaker and writer at an early age.

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