Police: 2 Craigslist Killings In Inkster May Be Connected
INKSTER (WWJ) - Two fatal shootings in Inkster one week apart may be related, according to Michigan State Police.
State Police Lt. Mike Shaw in the first incident, Jan. 31, 53-year-old James Nguyen was found shot in his car off Magnolia near Michigan Ave. and Inkster Rd.
Then, this past Sunday afternoon, a man was pronounced dead at a local hospital after being found unresponsive on Glennwood, also near Inkster Rd. — about half-a-mile from the first shooting. He had also been shot in his car, according to police.
Shaw told WWJ Newsradio 950's Zahra Huber there's a chance these killings are connected.
"We're not sure if they're exactly tied together, but we do know that they're following the same trend of people being lured in for a Craigslist (online classifieds) transaction," Shaw said.
"There are a lot more similarities between the two particular cases than there are differences. We'll go ahead and put it that way," he said. "...So it's possible that this could be the same group of individuals, or the same person."
The suspect in the first shooting is described as a 30-year-old lighter-skinned black male, around 5 feet, 7 inches tall. He was wearing a dark gray hooded, zippered jacket and Timberland boots. He was seen by witnessed running from the scene.
The suspect in the second shooting was described as black male with dreadlocks, wearing a dark-colored coat.
Shaw urges anyone who makes a Craigslist deal to be cautious and to always arranged to meet in a safe, public place.
Anyone with information about either of these crimes is asked to call 1-800-MICH-TIP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800 SPEAK UP.
