Lincoln Park man fatally shot during street ambush in SW Detroit

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Bradley Fox

A Detroit shooting kills a man on the southwest side Monday night and his friend who tried to save his life is talking about the ambush.

The shooting killed 24-year-old Bradley Fox of Lincoln Park, who was riding with Darren Vitkay at 10 p.m. on Witt Street near Elsmere.

Fox had asked Vitkay, his friend and neighbor of 20 years, to give him a ride to his father's house.

"Out of nowhere a car hit me head on," Vitkay said. "I got out of the car to check the damage and we were just ambushed."

Vitkay says two men jumped out of another car and described bullets flying from different directions, hitting his truck.

"I kept hearing boom boom boom," Vitkay said. "It sounded like gunshots. It sounded like a war going off."

He tried to drive away but his truck was too mangled to get much farther down the street. Vitkay says the gunfire wouldn't stop.

"I was saying stay down, stay down," Vitkay said. "I was driving and (it) hit him in the neck right here."

Vitkay tried talking with Fox to keep him awake, while the shooters ran away. Vitkay was in disbelief.

Looking down at Fox.

"I knew he was slipping away, I could see it in his face," Vitkay said. "He was a tough kid."

Vitkay described it as mass confusion Tuesday as Detroit police could be seen canvassing the neighborhood.

Police say they have an idea who they're looking for - the first suspect is a black male between 26 and 27 years old, 5 feet, 7 inches 150 pounds with a light complexion wearing a black sweater with a hood and gray jogging pants, with a gun.

The second suspect is only described as black with no further information provided.

Daren Vitkay talked about holding his friend and next door neighbor of 20 years, Bradley Fox, while knowing he was slipping away.

"I honestly think it was a set up," Vitkay said. "I don't know who did it. It's ridiculous, it's terrible. It's senseless. He had his whole life ahead of him."

Friends of Bradley Fox are planning to hold a vigil at Witt and Elsmere at 8 p.m. Tuesday night.