2-year-old boy injured after hit by stray bullet on Detroit's east side
Detroit police say a 2-year-old boy was hurt after being struck by a stray bullet while sitting in front of his home with family Saturday night.
The incident happened at about 11:50 p.m., July 5, in the 8000 block of Marion Avenue. Police Chief Todd Bettison says a group of juveniles was at a park about a block away from the home when an altercation occurred at the park and shots were fired.
Bettison says the child and his family were watching fireworks when a stray bullet struck him from a block away. He says the child is in temporary serious condition and is expected to survive. His injuries are considered minimal.
Police detained two juveniles, who are considered persons of interest, according to Bettison.
Bettison says the department will be stepping up its curfew enforcement.
"I'm appalled by it, upset by it, and as a result, this department will definitely be stepping up our efforts tremendously when it comes to curfew violations," the chief said. "Just the fact that we have a lot of unsupervised juveniles at a park ... I understand it's the holiday weekend, I understand that folks are out watching fireworks, but at the same time, parents still have the responsibility to ensure they know where their children are and that they are supervised."
The investigation is ongoing.
Last week, Bettison said the department would be making changes after a string of recent shooting incidents involving youth. In one of those incidents, a 4-year-old boy was killed after shots were fired at Skinner Playfield on June 27. An 18-year-old was also killed and a 17-year-old was injured in that shooting.
Two teens, 18-year-old Brandon Lee Ware and 19-year-old William McKinley Wheeler, were charged in connection with the deadly shooting. They are each charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of assault with intent to murder, two counts of discharge from a vehicle causing death, one count of discharge from a vehicle causing serious injury and five counts of felony firearm.
