Family of murdered Detroit mom: 'She would give the shirt off her back'

DETROIT (WJBK) - A mother was gunned down in Detroit after picking up her son from basketball practice. The family of Erica Garner is trying to cope after her senseless murder Wednesday night.

"My nephew is 11 years old and it's tragic for him to find his mother in a situation like that," said a family member.  "So I want everyone to pray and try to comfort him  because he is going to need it."

The 42-year-old Detroit mom was fatally shot near the corner of E. Eight Mile and Ryan.

"She was here to pick up her son last night and what happens, she was met by a violent predator," said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. "It wasn't good enough that as he tried to gain entrance to her car, she drives off.

"The response of this violent predatory suspect is he fired his shot. So yes I'm angry."

Her son saw the aftermath and Garner was able to get the attention of witnesses. Police say she fell out of her car, kept breathing for s short time, but she couldn't hold on for much longer.

"Erica would give the shirt off their back to anybody," the family member said. "You have to try to take anything from her, she would have gave it to you."

Right now, police have 17-year-old Ralph Anthony Marshall in custody, but they're looking for 18-year-old Rayvon Roscoe Smith as a person of interest.

Detroit police also say these suspects were captured on surveillance video standing along the sidewalk near the crime scene, may be connected to another carjacking from over the weekend.

"Right now he is a person of interest that we're looking for in connection with the carjacking and non-fatal shooting that occurred over the weekend on Edmore Street," said DPD Sgt. Jonathan Parnell. "And we also believe he may be a person of interest involving this investigation as well."

"I hope somebody out here know who the other person is and please turn them in," said Garner's relative. "They do not need to be out here because they are taking people's lives for no reason.  It's unnecessary what people are out here doing to people."

There is a $4,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Call Detroit police at (313) 596-2200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-OUT.