Girl, 8, hit when man starts 'randomly' shooting near Detroit gas station: police
DETROIT (WJBK) - Detroit Police have a suspect in custody after they say he just "randomly" started shooting in a gas station parking lot Friday morning, hitting an 8-year-old girl in a nearby car.
The shooting happened while the girl's mother was driving her to school.
Detroit Police Commander Brian Mounsey says it's not really clear why the suspect was shooting. He says the suspect was at the Shamrock gas station at Plymouth and Wyoming, asking people for a cigarette when he just started randomly shooting.
"He was just talking to people in the parking lot, asking people for a loose cigarette, making comments along the lines of, if he doesn't get a "loosie" soon it's about go to down," Mounsey said. "He was over near the bus stop and just started randomly shooting."
Police think two vehicles were hit, and the 8-year-old girl was in one of those cars. She and her mother were stopped at the red light at the time. The girl was hit in the shoulder area.
"I was trying to get out of the way. She was screaming in back and I got to her; her arm was bloody," the girl's mother, Cary Philson, told us. "It was a through and through but I wrapped it pretty tight so hopefully that was able to help her out a little bit."
Mounsey didn't know the girl's condition, but says it's expected she'll survive. No other injuries have been reported.
Police were able to locate the suspect through a photograph obtained through one of their Project Green Light cameras.
Project Green Light is a community safety approach that includes dozens of gas stations, restaurants, party stores and residential buildings. These partnering businesses have real-time, HD cameras on their properties that feed back to police headquarters.
FOX 2's Josh Landon spoke with the girl's mother at the gas station. She says her daughter's name is Kaya Philson and that they were on the way to Washington Parks Academy for school.
This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 2 for updates.