Man who police say sprayed a Detroit neighborhood with 16 bullets is still wanted

DETROIT (WJBK) - Detroit Police are looking for a man who sprayed bullets down a neighborhood street in what's believed to be a love triangle dispute. 

At least 16 shots were fired during the evening of September 13, 2017 in the 11000 block of Forrer on Detroit's west side. Police say they're looking for a 30-year-old suspect named Shawn Byrd. 

Police say the dispute started that evening, when Byrd got into an argument with a man at the front door. That confrontation escalated and Byrd pulled out a handgun, firing one shot.

The intended victim ducked and avoided the gunshot, and then the gun malfunctions, causing Byrd to leave. But within an hour, police say Byrd made a threatening phone call.

"About an hour later, Mr. Byrd calls the victim and says, 'Hey, I'm coming over to shoot up your house," says Detroit Police Lt. Ian Severy. 

A few minutes later, Byrd drove up and parked his vehicle at the corner. He jumped out with an AR-15 syle rifle and started lighting up the block.

"As he walked down the block, he was firing into our victim's home. He fired 16 rounds. He didn't care where the gun was pointed. He didn't care who he was hitting; it's kind of sad," says Detroit Police Detective Dennis Christie. "You can tell the offender was actually shooting as he was coming down the block because there were rounds from his exact walking path all the way down the street." 

The man and his mother, still inside the house, were hit in the leg and back. Fortunately, they survived.

Fearful that Byrd is still on the loose, they declined to speak with us. Police say the senseless violence in this case is likely over the two men dating the same woman.

"The reports are they may have been dating a girl either at the same time or separate times, but they did have a relationship in common with the same person at one point," says Lt. Severy.

Byrd is 30 years old, 6 feet tall and weighs about 165 pounds. Right now police believe he's hiding out on Detroit's west side. 

"[To say Shawn Byrd is trigger happy] is a huge understatement.," says Lt. Severy. "He actually has a prior conviction, a firearms related charge where he plead guilty to manslaughter in 2006."

The bullets were sprayed in a neighborhood where you have a number of kids who could have been out playing, including the grandson of one man we talked to, Phillip Duncan. Duncan wants to teach this little boy about quality of life, not how to duck for cover.

"That's awful because a stray bullet can hit anybody. It's just bad out here." he says.

Byrd is wanted on several charges including firearm possession, the intent to commit murder and being a repeat offender.

If you have any information on his whereabouts call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. You will remain anonymous.