DETROIT – A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed Wednesday in a vacant Detroit parking lot where neighbors say a group of teens was hanging out.
The boy, a student at East English Village Preparatory Academy at Finney High School was fatally shot on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 22. It’s believed the boy was with a group of teenagers at a vacant lot off the I-94 Service Drive near King Richard Street.
Detroit police, Michigan State Police, and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the shooting and and massive investigation was launched, as well as a search for the shooter. Authorities would not share many details about the shooting as of Wednesday night.
Neighbors, who did not want to be on camera, told Local 4 that a group of teenagers who aren’t usually in the area were hanging out in the lot. There did not appear to be any friction between the teens until suddenly the neighbors heard raised voices and then gunshots.
Neighbors said they saw only one shooter and one gun, though that information hasn’t been confirmed yet by police. After the shooting, the 16-year-old boy was dead in the grass.
The boy’s identity has not been released at this time.
Friends of the boy said he was a good kid and was very popular. Many were confused as to why the boy was killed and left in a vacant lot.
Authorities said the boy was with other students from his high school at the time of the shooting. They were less than a mile from the school when the shooting happened.
School staff, including the principal and the dean, rushed over to the scene.
Multiple teenagers were taken into custody for questioning. It was unclear if police had the shooter in custody, as well.
No other details were known at the time of this writing.
Watch Mara MacDonald’s report from Wednesday night below.