DETROIT (WXYZ) — Two teens and two adults remain hospitalized after a shooting on the west side of Detroit.
Police say the shooting happened Thursday just before 9 p.m. on Penrod St. between Schoolcraft Ave. and Davison St. Detroit Police say two 14-year-olds, a 31-year-old, and a 32-year-old were involved and taken to the hospital after being shot.
Police say at least one victim was in serious condition after being shot in the face. All four people are expected to survive.
A fifth victim, an 18-year-old man who was shot in the hand, was discovered Friday. No other details on that victim have been released.
As of Friday afternoon, police were still working to determine who shot at whom. Police say the shooting took place after neighbors got into a disagreement regarding a delivery.
"I was shocked because I was at work at the time and when I got here, there was a lot of police, detectives, and everything. They wouldn’t let anyone come by. It was all blocked off," said Tiffany Wilson who lives next door to the homes where the shooting took place.
Wilson says she believes the shooting resulted from a disagreement over a pizza. She says her uncle's car, which was in their driveway at the time of the shooting, was hit with one of the shots fired.
"It’s sad they went through that over a pizza. The situation could have been better," said Wilson. "It’s just bad out right now. I just pray every day."
Police say at least 30 rounds were fired during the shooting. Investigators were able to recover four guns. They also got a hold of Ring doorbell footage which is now in investigators' hands.
"It’s sad. Them is kids. Them are little kids. They should be preparing they self for the future, not getting shot over some food," said Glenda Mathis who also lives nearby. "People don’t think anymore before they just grab a gun and start shooting. You can’t do that. That’s another human being. Why mess with another human being's life or try to take another human being's life over something petty like that."
The incident now marks 20 shootings in 2023 so far involving a minor. Detroit Police say there have been 4 fatal shootings of children and teens, 14 non-fatal shootings, and 2 shootings that were self-inflicted/accidental.
"Survive the summer. We’ve had one nice day. Don’t let us having a nice day turn into your worse day. Don’t let us have to put a teddy bear on a telephone pole and a t-shirt with your name on it because you’re in the wrong situation," said Maurice "Pastor Mo" Hardwick who is a community activist.
Hardwick says it seems like victims are getting younger and younger. He says he'd like to see more programs and rec centers to keep youth off the streets.
"I’m sick of saying the same thing. We gotta be better about policing ourselves. We gotta do better parents, about raising our kids and our neighborhoods. This is our community.," added Hardwick.
City leaders say they’re working hard to get guns out of the hands of young people committing violence across Detroit.
"When you see a 14-year-old become a victim of gun violence, the question becomes what is a 14-year-old doing with a gun. How do they have access to this gun" said Detroit City Councilman Fred Durhal.
Durhal, who serves District 7, is the co-chair of the city’s anti-gun violence task force. He says the city has been working to invest in resources and programs to cut down on violence. Durhal says the city also recently invested in a ShotStopper program which is a crime intervention method to prevent shootings before they happen. The city is offering performance grants of up to $700,000 as part of the program.
"I think we are making a dent. It’s something that we cannot solve overnight. It is apparent that violence is not going to totally disappear but can we make our streets safer? Absolutely," said Durhal.
Durhal says the shooting is a good reminder for gun owners to keep weapons secured at all times.
"If there is a gun in the home and the parent has a gun in the home, please make sure that we are doing everything possible to lock that gun up and ensure safety measures so folks don’t have access. Half the battle to preventing gun violence is the access to the guns," said Durhal. "We are brothers and sisters. We have to protect each other. We have to understand that every victim is somebody’s child, somebody’s brother, somebody’s mother, somebody’s sister, somebody’s auntie or uncle. We have to protect ourselves, yes, but the best way to protect ourselves is coming together, doing it in a safe way."
