Sterling Heights man among shooting victims

Two men are dead and a host of questions are being asked after they were shot near the intersection of High Street and Union in Ecorse at about 5:30 a.m. Thursday.

According to Joseph Thomas Jr., the city’s director of public safety, the area was already under surveillance when the shooting occurred.

Thomas said two women, one from Grosse Ile and the other from Detroit, picked up the men and a short distance later, the vehicle was approached and fired upon.

Police found two different shell casings littering the street, indicating two guns were used, Thomas said.

Both men, a 20-yearold from Ecorse and a 19-year-old from Sterling Heights, were shot multiple times.

“I don’t want to say how many times they were shot, but the car had about 10 to 12 bullet holes in it on just one side,” Thomas said. “There were upwards of 20 casings found.”

The women were not injured.

Thomas declined comment on whether the women were in custody or not.

The director said this was not a “stranger danger” incident.

“This was up close and personal,” Thomas said.

The driver of the vehicle took off north on High Street and drove to the River Rouge Police Department.

River Rouge police contacted Ecorse police about the shooting victims and Ecorse officers rushed there, knowing it was the shooting from High and Union streets.

Thomas said both men died while in the backseat of the vehicle outside the River Rouge police station

Similar incidents have occurred in other communities, Thomas said, and he intends to share the information collected with multiple law enforcement agencies.

“This is organized,” Thomas said. “It’s bigger than a Detroit thing.”

Guns were found inside the vehicle, which had an Ohio license plate.

Thomas said he could not say if the incident was drug related, but said drugs and guns typically go hand-in-hand.

“You know someone knows what was going on here,” he said.