Grandfather Says 5-Year-Old Boy Lost Eye In Detroit Drive-By Shooting
DETROIT (WWJ) - The grandfather of a 5-year-old boy who was the victim of a drive-by shooting on Detroit's east side said his grandson is expected to survive, although doctors were unable to save his eye.
The boy, Donovan, was inside his home on Irvington Street, near 8 Mile Road and I-75, when someone fired shots through the front window around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday.
"I was downstairs in the basement, I heard a gunshot and then I heard screaming. I came upstairs and my grandson was in my daughter's arm," Jerome Brazelton, Donovan's grandfather, told WWJ's Charlie Langton. "They were sitting in the house watching television, the kids were running around playing and the young fella took a bullet."
"He was bleeding profusely...I grabbed my cell phone, ran outside and called 911. The police department was here immediately!" he said.
Donovan, who was shot in the face, was rushed to Children's Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and doctors were able to save his life.
"His condition today is he lost an eye, but he pulled through the surgery," said Brazelton.
Police believe this was a random shooting, according to Brazelton, and investigators indicated that the gunman might have been targeting a different home.
Brazelton has the same suspicion.
"You know, we're law-abiding, we're very nice, we get along with our neighbors," he said. "We think someone targeted the wrong house."
There have been no arrests as an investigation continues.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police at 313-596-1140 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
