Authorities: Drive-by shootings are related
Police working with local, state and federal agencies
Eastpointe police are beefing up neighborhood patrols following a drive-by shooting that investigators say may have happened as retaliation for other shootings.
Several of the bursts of violence are related and retaliatory, according to police, who say they are working with their federal, state and county law enforcement agencies on the cases.
The latest incident took place after just after midnight Saturday and was partially captured by a surveillance camera in the area of Oakwood Avenue and Stephens Road. That’s the approximate location of similar shootings over the past six months.
“We believe this was prearranged and was retaliatory,” police said Saturday night in a statement.
Officers were dispatched to Oakwood after neighbors called to re
port the sound of multiple shots being fired.
According to police, the investigation showed one or possibly two vehicles drove by an occupied vehicle on Oakwood ands someone inside one of them fired a series of gunshots. The victim, who is not a resident of Eastpointe, suffered a non-fatal injury, police said.
The victim was taken to Ascension St. John Hospital in Warren. His condition was not known Saturday night.
Eastpointe detectives spent hours collecting surveillance videos, interviewing residents and analyzing evidence. They are working with other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to compare notes and develop suspects.
Investigators said the shooting may be related to others in neighboring communities. Oakwood is near the border of Warren.
A surveillance camera in a doorbell camera caught the sound of multiple gunshots being fired.
One female homeowner, who was sitting on her porch having a late-night cigarette before bed, told WDIV-TV (Channel 4) she was terrified by the chaotic scene. She immediately ran inside to avoid getting hit.
“My husband was asleep on the couch, so as soon as I came running in, I yelled at him to get on the floor,” the woman told the news station. “It was absolutely terrifying. I was praying that no bullets were going come through the wall. They continue to shoot at we were laying there. We could hear the gunfire still going.”
The incident took place not far from the scene of a pair of early-morning driveby shootings in July. No one was hurt in those cases.
Friday’s shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents in the south Macomb County community in 2020.
A 17-year-old mother was shot to death on Rein Street and her 6-month-old baby was found unharmed in the house in September. Police took a person of interest into custody but have said the investigation is continuing.
In August, a 24-year-old Clinton Township man who was standing with a group of people on a porch of a house on Linwood died after he was struck during a drive-by shooting. Police later located the suspected shooter dead 15 miles away on Detroit’s west side, but they couldn’t find his car or his weapon.
Six days earlier, a 21-yearold Warren man was fatally shot at the Speedway gas station on 10 Mile Road near Hayes Road in what investigators said was a botched drug deal. Maher Zamil-Oufi Zuhairi, 25, of Roseville, was charged with second-degree murder and is being held in the Macomb County Jail.
In a social media post, Eastpointe police said residents should call the police department in the following cases:
• If you observe any occupied suspicious vehicles on your street
• If you hear gunfire, do not go outside to investigate or report it on social media
• If you have reason to believe that one of your neighbors is trafficking narcotics
• If you suspect that someone who resides in your household may be involved in a gang
• If you have security cameras, make sure they are working properly
• If you hear one of your neighbors arguing with other family members, and things are getting out of control, call police so they can intervene
• If you or one of your family members suffer from substance abuse, the department participates in Hope Not Handcuffs and can direct you to Families Against Narcotics
Police said most violent crimes are a result of domestic violence, drug use/ trafficking, and gang affiliation. Many of these types of crimes are difficult to predict or prevent. But by becoming aware of your surroundings, the better chance residents have to resolving the case.