Garden City woman shot by boyfriend recovering

A young woman is recovering after being shot by her boyfriend, police say, following an argument at an apartment complex in Garden City. 

The shooting happened in the Village Apartments near Warren and Venoy roads around midnight Thursday. Police say 19-year-old Courtney Ownes was shot multiple times by her boyfriend, Jalen Hawkins. The 23-year-old fled the scene before police arrived, and has not been seen since.

Courtney's family is still trying to make sense of what happened.

"It's sad. I'm hurting; I'm hurting bad," says Mary Carter. "I don't know how he could've done that to my granddaughter."

Courtney is still being treated at a local hospital.

"It's hard seeing my baby laying there like that," says Courtney's mother, Crystal Carter. "She didn't deserve it. She didn't. Nobody deserves that."

Residents at the apartment complex say they heard fighting before the shooting. Courtney's family tells us she kept her boyfriend a secret.

"We only know him from Facebook and that she's been dating him. He never wanted to come around," says Courtney's cousin, Jerricka Shivers. "I just hope this sends a message to all the young girls going through all this, stuff like this can happen. I really hope that ya'll can talk to somebody and let somebody know before anything happens."

Police say Hawkins is known to frequent Detroit, Redford and the Southfield area.

Hawkins is likely driving a red 2012 Ford Focus with the license plate number DPM 0573. He is 6 feet 1 inch tall with a medium build. Police shared a photo of the suspect but say he now may have his hair in dreadlocks. Hawkins also has a tattoo in his neck area that has DETROIT in big letters.

If you see Hawkins or know of his location you're asked to give Garden City police a call.