Detroit boy, 2, killed, 9-year-old in serious condition after shooting on freeway
"The victim driver pulled over at McNichols and noticed both of their children were shot," the state agency said.
A young boy, 2, was killed on a highway in Detroit. Officers are asking the public for any leads in the case.
The Thursday shooting also left a 9-year-old in the hospital fighting for his life as the tragedy occurred on Interstate 75. Officers are looking for a Chrysler 300 with no license plate, per Detroit Free Press.
Officers do not have many leads but what they do know is that the Chrysler is a late-model and silver.
A car drove onto the freeway off of 7 Mile Road when a “light colored four-door” pulled up beside it and fired shots.
“The victim driver pulled over at McNichols and noticed both of their children were shot,” the state agency said, according to NBC News.
The Michigan State Police posted to Twitter about the shooting.
“A person in the suspect vehicle began firing at them. The victim driver pulled over at McNichols and noticed both of their children were shot. A 2 year old male child was transported to a local hospital where we was pronounced dead.”
During a news conference, Detroit interim police Chief James White labeled the event as “horrible” and “tragic.”
It “is certainly the worst day of the family’s life,” said the chief per NBC News.. “I cannot fathom what they must be going through. It’s just absolutely horrible.”
The Detroit Police Department will “help get this monster off the street,” despite the shooting taking place in Michigan State Police’s jurisdiction. Officers say around the same time there was another shooting in Detroit which occurred around the Southfield Freeway near Schoolcraft.
According to reports, the driver was hit in the shoulder and a passenger in the back seat was hit in the knee. They were taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Livonia. The motives for both shootings are unknown.
The shooting comes weeks after another Detroit child was shot by a neighbor. The 6-year-old now needs therapy. Coby Daniel, the child who was allegedly shot by 29-year-old Ryan Le-Nguyen, will now need therapeutic support to heal from the terrifying incident, according to his father, per TMZ.
Coby’s father, Arnold Daniel, said his son is having a hard time sleeping at night and winds up sleeping next to him as a result of the shooting. Coby sometimes asks questions like, “Why would [the alleged shooter] do that?” TMZ reports.
Arnold told TMZ that he set up an appointment for Coby to see a therapist to help him navigate this unfortunate experience as his gunshot wound continues to heal. The father also shared that he is taking time away from work to support his son as well as cope with his own anxiety.
As theGrio previously reported, Le-Nguyen was recently arrested for assault with intent to murder after he allegedly shot Coby.
The bullet went through the child’s arm, but a doctor said if it had been an inch over in either direction, it would have killed him.
Additional reporting by Hannah Joy
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