Man Found Murdered Outside Novi Apartment Complex
NOVI (WWJ) - Residents in a Novi apartment complex woke up Friday to the sight of crime scene tape and flashing lights as police investigate an apparent murder.
Police say around 10:50 p.m. on Thursday, they received several calls of multiple gunshots heard in the Saddle Creek
apartment complex on Novi Road, just north of 9 Mile Road.
Officers arrived to find 22-year-old Joe-Von Meshawn Cole dead outside of the apartment complex.
Eight hours later detectives remained on the scene, actively investigating and showing no sign of leaving soon.
When asked about the circumstances surrounding the incident, Michigan State Police would only say that it does not appear to be a random shooting.
An autopsy, performed by the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office, later confirmed the manner of death as multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.
Neighbors told WWJ's Mike Campbell that the Cole lived in the complex with his girlfriend.
A man who identified himself Cole's girlfriend's cousin said she was home at the time of the shooting. The girlfriend allegedly heard her boyfriend put his key in the door, followed by a series of gunshots and him screaming "Oh no! Oh no!" before she called 911.
Casper Tway lives in a third-floor apartment, two floors above where the shooting occurred.
"We were surprised. I came back late last night and it's like the whole entrance is blocked off, the yellow tape and everything. And we were waiting there for like what, two hours before the cops would let us in," he said.
So far, police say they do not have a suspect. An investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the Novi police at 248-348-7100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
