DETROIT – A late-night shooting at a Detroit block party left two people killed and 19 others injured over the weekend.
Police were still investigating the circumstances that led to the Sunday, July 7 shooting on Detroit’s east side.
Here’s everything we know as of Monday morning.
Watch the press conference live after 11 a.m. in the video player above.
Shooting details
A block party was happening last weekend in the area of Reno Street and Rossini Drive, near East State Fair and Gratiot avenues. At about 2:25 a.m. on Sunday, July 7, at least one person opened fire at the party.
It was not immediately clear how many shots were fired in total, but many people were hit. Police said two people were killed and 19 others were shot and injured.
What we know about the victims
The two people who were killed were in their early 20s, according to authorities. Their identities were not revealed as of early Monday morning.
The 19 others who were shot range in age from 17 to 28 years old. Their identities were not yet known, either.
Was anyone arrested?
Michigan State Police said no arrests were made as of Sunday. Officials hadn’t issued an update as of this writing, so it’s unknown if any arrests were made Monday morning.
Authorities were scheduled to host a press conference at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 8, where they will likely provide more details about this. You can watch the conference live on Local 4+ and ClickOnDetroit.com.
What led to the shooting
Police were still investigating what happened over the weekend. The details surrounding the shooting were not immediately clear.
Neighbors told Local 4 that the shooting shouldn’t have happened. Marco Bellinnie, a man who was at the block party, told Local 4′s Victor Williams that everyone was just trying to have a good time when they heard the gunshots, thinking at first that they might be fireworks.
Bellinnie said he looked around and “saw the panic in everyone,” and knew what was actually happening.
Cliff Dykes, a man who lives a few doors down, said he heard the shooting and screaming when it all happened. You can hear from the neighbors in Victor’s report below.
Detroit leaders frustrated
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was scheduled to hold a joint press conference with Detroit police Chief James White on Monday, July 8.
The hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Click here to watch it live, or watch live on our Local 4+ streaming app.
Duggan and White were expected to discuss Sunday’s shooting in addition to a “comprehensive new strategy regarding block parties.”
“The violence at several block parties over the last three days has been heartbreaking for this city,” Duggan said in a statement. “Young people and innocent neighbors are being put at risk every weekend. Chief White and I will hold a full briefing tomorrow to discuss this spike in violence at these events and our plans to address it.”
The block party shooting comes amid a violent Fourth of July weekend across the U.S. Violence and mass shootings often surge in the summer, especially around the Fourth of July. Researchers say the reason is a combination of factors, including more social events and more alcohol consumption.