Sleeping 8-year-old boy hit by a stray bullet in Detroit rolling gun battle
DETROIT (CBS DETROIT) – A rolling gun battle in Detroit sends a stray bullet into the bedroom of a sleeping 8-year-old boy.
It happened overnight at the Brewster Homes near Mack and Interstate 75.
The single gunshot is barely visible but has physically and emotionally scarred Lawrence Curry's 8-year-old son, Xavier.
"He was laying down asleep in the bed, and you know they came shooting," Curry said
Detroit police say individuals in two cars were shooting at each other near the complex's entrance at about 4 a.m.
"I heard so many boom boom booms, I said that ain't firecrackers, so I jumped out the bed and laid under the bed, and I had my phone, and I called 911," said neighbor Rochelle Tait.
Officers recovered several shell casings from a high-powered rifle.
"I don't know what's wrong with these young people," Tait said. "I hope they find them because it don't make sense to do that. That little boy could have died."
The stray bullet struck Xavier's upper arm. He was treated at the Children's Hospital of Michigan, just a stone's throw away from his home.
"I'm blessed every minute because it could have been worse–it truly could have been worse," Curry said.
This shooting happened hours after DPD top brass updated the Board of Police Commissioners on how crime is trending in the city.
"We are continuing to drive this gun violence down here in our city," Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes with the Detroit Police Department told the board.
As of Friday, there have been 433 non-fatal shootings so far in 2023 compared to 440 during the same period in 2022 (Jan. 1 through July 6).
"And with that reduction, we're taking it, we will continue to work hard for the second half of the year to continue to encourage better decision-making and hold those accountable that are recklessly using these firearms," Hayes said.
In Xavier's shooting, police are reviewing surveillance footage that may lead them to a suspect.
"We wish people would not resort to gun violence to solve their issues. If it's a matter of a neighbor complaint that they utilize 911, let us come out to help them resolve those particular issues," Commander Melissa Gardner with the Detroit Police Department said.
Xavier's dad wants the perps to know this:
"What goes around comes around. I hate for their karma to come," Curry said.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Detroit Police Department at (313) 596-5200 or Crime Stoppers at 800-Speak Up (773-2587).