1 dead and 5 injured at Detroit banquet hall shooting, the expanded child tax credit, mail woes persist
6 shot, 1 killed by gunfire at banquet hall in Detroit
Chaos erupted at the Chalmers Banquet Hall Tuesday morning when police say several people were injured by gunfire. One person, a man in his 30s, was killed.
LANSING, Mich. - Six people were shot and one died from gunfire at a Detroit banquet hall early Tuesday morning, according to Detroit police.
Officers responding to the Chalmers banquet hall around 2 a.m. said that more than 100 people were attending a gathering when shots were fired.
The banquet hall is located near Chalmers and East Outer Drive.
Law enforcement is still putting together what happened and was unclear as to what prompted the shooting or if it started inside or outside.
The person killed was a man in his 30s. Two men and three women were also hit by gunfire, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Police aren't sure how many shooters were involved and don't have a description.
"We don't have a lot of witnesses standing out here, giving us the story, and that's what we need to know," Commander Eric Decker said. "6 people shot, somebody lost their life and nobody is pounding our doors down to tell us what happened."
One of the victims was a 28-year-old wheelchair-bound man, the family told FOX 2. Described as an innocent bystander, he was allegedly caught in the crossfire.
Nobody is talking, according to a preliminary investigation.
Detroit's expanded child tax credit payments start Thursday
Thousands of extra dollars could be arriving in the bank accounts of Detroiters Thursday when payments tied to the expanded child tax credit begin. The Detroit mayor estimated the money could lift 20,000 children out of poverty.
"That is significant," said William Woods, a father that lives in the city. "That will pull a lot of people ... it's not like they are taking anything away. You don't have to pay it back."
The measure was included in the latest COVID-19 relief bill that expanded the tax credit by $1,000 per child and $3,600 for children under the age of 6. The full tax credit will go toward single parents in households making less than $112,000 a year and married couples making less than $150,000. Those making $200,000 and $400,000 respectively will get a partial tax credit.
Child tax credit expands and many parents may not know they already qualify
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan gave how-to instruction for applying for the child tax credit on Monday. Duggan says it could lift at least 20,000 children out of poverty and many people don't even know that the money is available - and will start showing up in parents' bank accounts this week.
Half of the money comes through monthly payments starting this week- the rest coming when parents or legal guardians file their 2021 taxes. Mayor Mike Duggan reiterated that the tax credit does not count as income against public benefits. If you owe the IRS money, they will still send you a check. And even if you're pregnant or in the process of adopting, you can still get the cash.
I-75 remains closed due to tanker fire Tuesday morning
Drivers should be aware of another reason to avoid I-75 if they plan on commuting through the major Metro Detroit arterial after a tanker fire shut down the flow of traffic for half of Monday. As of Tuesday morning, the roadway is still not open.
Drivers will be detoured onto Woodward but should expect major delays. The fire happened in the northbound lanes near Rochester and Big Beaver.
The disruption started after a tanker truck hit the median of the highway and erupted into flames. Evidence of the fire later Monday night showed a shell of the tanker, covered in white foam deployed by firefighter crews. The driver, a 46-year-old from St. Clair suffered only minor injuries.
It could be days before crews know the extent of the damage. Viewer video showed the crash and subsequent igniting of 14,000 gallons worth of gas and diesel that burned for two hours.
Teen's miraculous recovery after tubing accident nearly killed her
A New Boston teen is home after spending a week in the hospital following a tubing accident that doctors say nearly killed her. It's why Beaumont Royal Oak doctors said she'd be in the hospital for a month. However, only days after the injury, she was back home.
"I am grateful for a lot of things -- that I didn’t have any head or spinal injuries or any nerve damage. I’m very grateful that I still have my arm because it could have been a lot worse," Aubrey Perhase said.
Teen making miraculous recovery after nearly dying in boating accident
A teen is recovering after she nearly died in a boating accident on a Michigan lake two weeks ago.
The accident happened in White Lake Township when Perchase was visiting a friend on Tull Lake. The person driving the boat pulling their tube had to suddenly turn to avoid hitting another boat, causing Perchase to slam into a parked pontoon. She said she only had 50% of her kidney left and two collapsed lungs. "I had secondary drowning," she said.
Perchase also had five broken ribs and a broken collar bone. But she just considers herself lucky to be alive.
Mail woes persist in Detroit
Shades of 2020 are still as evident as ever in the 48224 zip code in Detroit where residents say the arrival of mail continues to fail, despite notices in their email box saying they have letters waiting for them.
Jasmine Triplett, a Detroit mom living off Somerset Ave said she's waiting on mail from the health department, the unemployment office, a water claim, and a Social Security issue with her mom. But even a visit to the mail office in Kensington Station off of Harper Monday morning yielded little results.
Members of Detroit zip code are fed up with spotty delivery
Residents are waiting on important paperwork but says the wait for mail has been constant of late.
"There was like 10 of us in the office this morning, knocking on the door for hours," Triplett said. Another resident, Maria Campbell hasn't seen her mail in two weeks. She can't move her van since the title still hasn't arrived. Her son, who was planning to go to college still needs to fill out paperwork that has yet to arrive.
A spokesperson with the USPS told FOX 2 they’ve investigated and there are "no systemic delivery issues at Kensington Station." But, Campbell was there this morning. "It was hostile - very hostile, people were ready to break down the window to get in and get their mail," she said.
What else we're watching
- After losing their battle with the State Board of Canvassers, supports pushing to get a fair and equal proposal for gay rights on the ballot will be meeting with the Board today at 10 a.m.
- FOX 2 had an exclusive interview with the vice president Monday afternoon after she made her pitch for boosting vaccination rates amid slumping expectations the state will reach 70%.
- Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist will be giving the keynote address at the 2021 Detroit Policy Conference today. He'll also hold a Q&A session with Dennis Archer Jr., the CEO of Ignition Media Group
- The Warren man who harassed and threatened his Black neighbors last year will plead no contest and is expected to be sentenced in August. The man's father will also plead guilty after disassembled the gun used in the crimes.
- The man who was arrested and jailed by Detroit police after he was wrongfully mistaken for a suspect due to the incorrect identification by facial recognition will testify before a Congressional House subcommittee today at 10 a.m.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
Rain begets more rain in Metro Detroit Tuesday as showers in the morning will turn into potential thunderstorms later in the afternoon. Damaging wind won't be a problem today, but it could become an issue later in the week with more turbulence on the way.
CDC says J&J vaccine has ‘small possible risk’ of rare neurological disorder
U.S. health officials said Monday Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine may pose a "small possible risk" of a rare neurological disorder known as Guillain-Barré syndrome, another setback for the vaccine that was temporarily paused earlier this year.
About 100 suspected cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome were identified out of 12.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson shot, according to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cases were mostly reported about two weeks after vaccination and mostly in men, age 50 and older, the CDC said.
The CDC said it would ask its panel of outside vaccine experts to review the issue at an upcoming meeting. J&J didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.