Month: July 2024

A mass shooting left two people dead and 19 injured early Sunday at a block party in Detroit’s notorious gang-riddled “Red Zone.” The shooting unfolded at approximately 2:25 a.m. during a block party on the city’s east side near Wish Egan Field in the Mohican Regent neighborhood, according to police.

Michigan State Police confirmed on X that two fatalities occurred and 19 others were injured in the shooting: “The Michigan State Police is assisting the Detroit Police Department on a shooting investigation through our partnership on the Homicide Task Force.”

A 22-year-old unidentified man allegedly opened fire in the area dubbed the “Red Zone” by the local Seven Miles Bloods Street Gang (per Click On Detroit.). A 20-year-old woman was fatally shot in the head and a 21-year-old man killed by a bullet to his back, the outlet said, with all of Sunday’s victims ranged from 17 to 28 years old. One of the victims — a 17-year-old girl — is in critical condition, with thirteen others listed in serious condition. The man who opened fire was shot in his left leg and taken into custody, and is hospitalized in stable condition.

Per NBC affiliate WDIV, Michigan State Police are assisting the Detroit Police Department in the investigation through its joint Homicide Task Force, and said that there is not a suspect in custody after the incident.

City council president Mary Sheffield said in a statement on X: “I was saddened and utterly disgusted to learn of today’s early morning mass shooting on Detroit’s east side, where 21 young people, average age of 19, were shot with two of them succumbing to their injuries. This unspeakable tragedy is yet another reminder that gun violence is an epidemic in Detroit and across this Nation. We must chart a new course of action and I’m calling for an all-hands-on-deck approach to ending the senseless killings and destruction of families in our community…my heart and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones.”

Michigan State Police have asked anyone with information about the shooting to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

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The man suspected of killing three people and injuring eight others after crashing into a crowd during an Independence Day celebration at a New York City park on Manhattan’s Lower East Side has been arrested and is accused of driving under the influence.

Per NBC News, the driver was identified by police as Daniel C. Hyden, 44, of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. NYPD say that he was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, eight counts of assault, one count of driving without a license in the second degree and one count of driving while intoxicated. Hyden is alleged to have driven his gray Ford F-150 pickup “at a high rate of speed when he failed to navigate the road and struck 11 pedestrians” — running through an intersection, up onto the sidewalk and striking the crowd at Corlears Hook Park in Manhattan around 8:55 p.m. According to a criminal complaint from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Hyden was additionally charged with three counts of manslaughter in the second degree, three counts of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, and one count of aggravated vehicular assault. Officials said Hyden’s license had been suspended at the time of the incident for “failure to answer a summons four times on three dates.”

Hyden pleaded not guilty to all the charges during an arraignment hearing Saturday; his attorney, Tim Pruitt with The Legal Aid Society, told CNN: “This is a very tragic case, and we extend our sincere condolences to all those impacted. But Mr. Hyden is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a zealous defense, and at this preliminary stage in the case, we caution the public from making any rush to judgment.” Hyden’s next court date is scheduled for July 10.

Hyden, who told police he had a few alcoholic drinks, was found at the scene of the crash “next to the driver’s side door, bloodied with no shirt or shoes.”  Police said Hyden was stumbling on his feet, had bloodshot eyes and a “strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath and clothing.” Pedestrians who witnessed the incident told an officer that Hyden was the only person sitting in the driver’s seat when the truck crashed and there were no other passengers in the vehicle.  When officers arrived on the scene, one pedestrian was still pinned underneath Hyden’s pickup and emergency responders had to extricate the person from the vehicle. Hyden was arrested at the scene and taken to a hospital with head and facial lacerations, with police noting he was not wearing a seatbelt; he refused all testing at the scene of the incident.

The NYPD has identified Ana Morel, 43, as the third person killed, after earlier identifying Lucille Pinkney, 59, and Hernan Pinkney, 38, as two of the other three victims killed.  Seven of the victims were between 11 and 35, and were taken to hospitals in stable condition, police said. A 30-year-old woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to the NYPD. Six individuals were treated at various hospitals for pain, abrasions, as well as lacerations to their necks, backs, and faces.

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