3 shootings this week involved kids in Detroit
Three shootings in Detroit this week involved victims who were children.
Detroit shootings involving kids
Big picture view:
The shootings that happened this week that involved children include:
- 14-year-old shot late Saturday night. Read more
- A 7-year-old girl shot Monday evening. Read more
- A 16-year-old girl shot and killed in a drive-by Tuesday evening. Read more
Dig deeper:
In the early morning hours of Oct. 11, one person died and three others were hurt in a shooting in the 3900 block of Wabash Street, near Grand River Avenue. One of the victims was a 14-year-old who was shot in the stomach and critically injured.
On Monday, Oct. 12, a mother and her 7-year-old daughter were shot after an argument over a group of children fighting outside, police had said. Police said the suspect was the father of one of the children.
And on Tuesday, Oct. 13, a 16-year-old girl was killed in a drive-by shooting on Chalmers Street between Mack and Warren avenues. A 19-year-old man was also hurt.
What they're saying:
"We had Occupy the Summer. We had one of the safest summers on record, when it comes to young people being able to thrive and not have a summer just filled with gun violence," said Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison Tuesday night in a press conference speaking about the drive-by shooting that injured the 16-year-old girl.
"I guess we’re going to have to start occupying the whole year," he continued. "It feels like a summer night. We’re in October; kids are out; I’m very angry about this."
What is Occupy the Summer?
Mayor Mary Sheffield's "Occupy the Summer" Finale & Back-to-School giveaway
Ronia Shamona welcomes Mayor Mary Sheffield to the studio to discuss her "Occupy the Summer" events, aimed at preventing teen crime and giving the city's youth—the future of Detroit—the care, resources, and funding they need. Plus the back-to-school giveaways she has for students.
The backstory:
Occupy the Summer was Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield’s initiative to engage the community and create safe spaces for kids in the city throughout the summer months. The mayor committed $1.5 million to Occupy the Summer events.
Earlier this month, the City and police reported it had been a safe summer for kids in Detroit. Police reported one juvenile homicide this summer, which is an 89% drop from 2025.
READ MORE: Detroit celebrates drop in crime among young people after 2026 summer
What they're saying:
FOX 2 spoke with the mayor’s office Wednesday about the string of shootings this week.
"We deal with the objective reality. The overall data has been outstanding. It’s proven that many of our strategies are effective, especially our CVI strategy," said Teferi Brent, director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety.
"Those strategies are working because police cannot fix violent crime alone. You can’t arrest your way out of this. That’s why Madame is very intentional about this, which is why she created the Mayor’s Office Neighborhood and Community Safety to employ strategies that can change culture and ultimately change behavior."
Meanwhile:
Related to another act of gun violence recently in the city, neighbors in the Prest Street community met Wednesday evening at Detroit 300 to advocate for greater safety in the area and a neighborhood association.
In September, three men were killed and four others were hurt in a shooting at an after-hours party at a Detroit home.
READ MORE: Homeowner charged in Detroit mass shooting at after-hours party
The Source: Information in this article was taken from Detroit police, and comments made by Chief Bettison Tuesday night, Oct. 13. Background information on Occupy Detroit was also taken from the City of Detroit.