Hutch's Jewelry murder was ‘targeted’; more guns in shootings are bought legally; Biden wants tougher gun laws
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - Oak Park Police said the murder of Dan "Hutch" Hutchinson, the owner of Hutch's Jewelry in Oak Park, was a targeted hit. They also said his wife was in the car with him but was somehow unhurt. That story leads Friday morning's News Hit.
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When prominent jeweler Daniel "Hutch" Hutchinson was shot multiple times Wednesday afternoon after he left the pawn shop he owned on Greenfield Road in Oak Park, police said he had his wife in the car with him. They also said the murder was not a random shooting and the suspect knew Hutchinson.
Police said Hutchinson's wife was in the GMC Yukon Denali Wednesday afternoon when a car pulled up in the lane next to Hutchinson and fired more than a dozen rounds into the SUV. Despite sitting in the same vehicle, police said his wife was not hurt in the shooting, which Oak Park Police Lt. Marlon Benson said was a targeted act.
"This was not a random event, it was targeted - as far as reasons, we don’t know why he was targeted but we don't think this was an isolated event," he said.
Benson said police have made an arrest and are not looking into any other suspects at this time.
"My brother worked for him," said Marcus Brown. "My brother gave me a call and was like, 'Something happened out here (with) Hutch.' I ran up here just to see. He was a good guy, that's all I can really (say) about him. I don’t understand this."
Rumors are swirling after the 47-year-old's death. Police say right now many of them are unsubstantiated but are not able to share much about the suspect.
Related: Hutch’s Jewelry owner Dan Hutchinson shot and killed in Oak Park
More guns used in mass shootings are legally purchased
Three times in the past two weeks deadly mass shootings have shaken America to its core: One at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York; then 10 days later at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and Wednesday, a shooter killed four people at a Tulsa medical building.
Investigators say in at least two of those massacres, the gunmen purchased the firearms legally at a shop before using them — which US Congressional leaders say is a growing trend.
And it has elected leaders from Washington DC to Lansing, fired up.
"We cannot have one more child in this country wondering if it’s their last day in this state and in this country, as they go to school," said State Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield).
Recently, a New York Times report shared a letter from the House’s Committee on Oversight and Reform, which shows 12 gun dealers in 10 states have sold a significant number of firearms tied to crimes.
One of the dealers is from Michigan, but that specific dealer wasn’t named. But the committee says of the more than 1,600 gun traces in Michigan between 2014 and 2019, about 91 percent of them were used in a crime less than five years after purchase.
'How much more carnage?' Biden calls for tougher gun laws
President Joe Biden delivered an impassioned plea to Congress to act on gun control Thursday night in an address to the nation, calling on lawmakers to restore limits on the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines after a string of mass shootings in the country.
Speaking at the White House, Biden sought to drive up pressure on Congress to pass stricter gun limits after such efforts failed following past attacks.
"How much more carnage are we willing to accept," Biden said after last week's shootings by an 18-year-old gunman, who killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and another attack on Wednesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a gunman shot and killed four people and himself at a medical office.
And those came after the May 14 assault in Buffalo, New York, where a white 18-year-old wearing military gear and livestreaming with a helmet camera opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood, killing 10 people and wounding three others in what authorities described as "racially motivated violent extremism."
Metro Detroit gas average hits $5 as price is going to continue to climb
Regular Unleaded hit $5 a gallon at gas stations across Metro Detroit and they're not going anywhere.
"It’s almost like what’s that movie? 'Road Warrior,'" said Kevin Sane. "The race was for gas, fuel was like a commodity, it became almost an extinct thing. If you had it, it was like trading precious metal, and it looks like we’re headed that way."
Experts say European countries cutting back on Russian oil, China re-opening from Covid lockdowns, and the summer travel season here in the states are all driving up demand for gas and consequently the price of it.
But Dr. Michael Greiner, a gas guru and assistant professor of management at Oakland University says there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
The Biden administration is working to open up Venezuela’s oil market.
"They’ve kind of been a pariah state for a number of years, but there’s a lot of talk about the fact that they could be brought back to a pretty high level of production pretty quickly," Greiner said.
OPEC plans to pump out more oil and Saudi Arabia, is eager to get back in the US' good graces after the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, could do the same.
"The president is planning a trip to Saudi Arabia, and there’s a lot of discussions going on with that country in particular, but also throughout OPEC of trying to get more oil pumped," Greiner said.
So when could we possibly get some relief at the pump?
"I would not be surprised if we see a peak in August but with things starting to come down in probably September or so," Greiner said. "If I had to make a prediction that’s what I would say."
How much higher will it go? JP Morgan predicts we could see $6.20 per gallon by August.
Dearborn trims retiree healthcare to make up for $22M deficit
It was standing room only at a City of Dearborn public hearing Thursday night. Many of the people there — city employees — current and retired — were concerned about changes to retiree health care benefits.
"The fact of the matter is, we lived up to our end of the agreement, we fulfilled our end of that contract, we expect the same in return," said one man. "It's just the honorable thing to do."
The new mayor of Dearborn, Abdullah Hammoud, made a promise: "You are not going to lose benefits," he said. "At no point in time will the rug ever be pulled away from them, we never want to do that."
This stems from a $22 million deficit Hammoud says he inherited from the prior administration. As far as changes to retiree healthcare benefits go, he said there will be some changes.
"There are some modest changes that have occurred to retirees," he said. "There will be a $250 deductible for those who have Medicare, if you don’t have the means of affording, there’s no deductible and for those not eligible for Medicare there’s a $500 deductible."
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Weather forecast
Get ready to give that air conditioning an early break this summer! Temperatures are going to stay in the 60s and 70s for the next week and this weekend is going to be nearly perfect - if it weren't for that rain chance on Sunday.
National Donut Day: Where to get free donuts on Friday
National Donut Day is Friday, June 3 — and stores are handing out free or discounted donuts right and left.
Here are some of the outlets that are offering yummy treats in honor of National Donut Day (which some people wish was every day, but you can't have everything).
From Dunkin' to Krispy Kreme to Tim Horton's and 7-Eleven - all of the best places are offering sweet donut deals.
In some cases, purchases are required to snag that free donut — so click here for details!