Mother of 7 among 3 dead, where is all of January's snow, Capitol Hill's double standard during protest
FRIDAY NEWS HIT - A mother of 7 kids is among the three dead at a housing unit on West Boston, near Joy Road. Detroit police have been investigating the triple shooting since early Friday morning.
Two adults were found shot dead inside a location on the 4000 block of W. Boston, while a third adult was found fatally shot in the area of Holmur and Boston.
Detroit police investigate triple murder near Joy Road
Detroit police have begun an investigation into the shooting deaths of three people found around 2:30 a.m. Friday.
The victims, two men and one woman, were discovered at around 2:26 a.m.
While police have declined to provide any other information, the female victim was identified as Janea Fletcher, according to family of the victim.
The mother is 32 years, her aunt said.
"I really don't know much. They're just telling me my niece is in the house and she's just no longer with us, and she has seven kids," said Fletcher's aunt. "Like I don't know what to do. I'm just asking if anybody knows anything about this, to please feel free to let her family know or let the police know."
"This is just not fair. She's got seven kids, it's not fair," she added.
Janea Fletcher, mother to 7 who was found shot dead along with two other men.
The children are between 2 and 17 years old.
Family said they weren't sure why the woman was at the house, which isn't hers. They also aren't aware of the other victims.
Detroit police are still investigating and asking anyone that can please contact the Detroit Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 313-596-2260 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak Up. Again.
It's January, where's all the snow?
Metro Detroit may be in the midst of its coldest and snowiest month of the year, historically speaking. But for any resident in Southeast Michigan that looks around, at least one of those traits just isn't true.
So far, only 1.4 inches of snow has fallen, about an inch below normal for this time of the year. Typically, it snows 10 days out of the month in January. In 2005, Metro Detroit got had more than a foot of snowfall in just two days.
In 2014 - bitterly cold polar vortex 2014 that is - the year kicked off with 11 inches of snow, followed by another 10.6 inches two days later. And then there was the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1999, when a foot of snow fell on the 1st of January.
Temperatures look more similar to the historical average, with highs leveling out around freezing and overnight lows falling near 19 degrees.
There have been notable snowfalls later in January in previous years, taking place Jan. 13 and 14. With those dates a week away, there could still be some major snow in Metro Detroit's future, just not its immediate future.
Gov Whitmer: "Were they not paying attention" during Michigan's protest?
As far-fetched as the scenes of Jan. 6 were for many watching TV at the Capitol, they were not unlike similar protests that spiraled out of control in Michigan in 2020.
Back then, it wasn't an election that had whipped up a crowd into a frenzy. Instead, it was COVID-19 restrictions that had sent the state into a lockdown. Hours after the protest started, men armed with semi-automatic rifles could be seen standing in the seating area above where lawmakers were debating pandemic policies.
"I think the worst part is, though, how many people were saying they can’t believe this can happen in the United States of America? All I can think was - were they not paying attention to what happened eight months ago?" Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said.
The threat of extremist violence has grown in the U.S. and particularly in Michigan after a plot to kidnap the governor had been uncovered by the FBI late last year. Several men were brought up on terrorism charges.
Now, there's potential for sedition charges against some of the people that incited a riot in Washington that has killed four pedestrians and one Capitol police officer.
Detroit expanding COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Following the state of Michigan's expansion of eligibility requirements for who can receive a vaccine, the city of Detroit is localizing its effort to get more treatment into the arms of residents.
On Thursday, Mayor Mike Duggan announced plans to expand access by opening the TCF Center garage as a public vaccination site.
Beginning Monday, the city will begin scheduling 20,000 appointments for seniors to be given the vaccine. By Wednesday, the vaccines will be administered.
"Just as Detroit was a national model for accessible and efficient testing, we expect to be a national model for distribution of the COVID vaccine," said Duggan. "We are going to keep ramping up our vaccinations to the maximum extent the supply allows."
Residents 75 and older and 65-year-old "good neighbor" drivers - those shuttling elderly to get vaccinated - will all be first in line to get vaccinated. First responders in Detroit will also begin to receive their vaccinations on Friday, which includes police officers, bus drivers, and other critical workers.
Appointments must be made starting on Monday, Jan. 11, and will be available for appointments Monday-Friday between 9 am and 6 pm. To make an appointment, residents who are 75 and older should call 313-230-0505
Double standard on Capitol Hill
Among the other eyebrow-raising motifs of Wednesday's mob surge on the Capitol was the lack of discipline that law enforcement paid those participating in the violence.
That's not the treatment that Black Lives Matter protesters received over the summer, activists say.
"No one can tell me if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesters yesterday, they would have been treated differently," said President-Elect Joe Biden.
"In the summer of 2020, BLM had a protest in DC, you had people in the Army, the military, the Capitol Police, the Secret Service, everybody. Fatigues, helmets, long rifles, (like) 'You're not coming in here,'" Rev. Wendell Anthony said. "And they were peaceful."
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said it was pretty clear that those who stormed the Capitol building were treated differently than protesters over the summer were.
But on Wednesday, after a lightly-staffed Capitol police force was overrun by protesters who tore down barriers, there was little evidence of crowd control for hours until a larger police force arrived.
So far, only 70 arrests have been made, despite five people dying amid the skirmishes, including one officer who died from his injuries after being struck by a fire extinguisher.
Other Stories
1. Rob Wolchek's been busy chasing after some shady contractors after they were taking a lot of money for very little work. Now, those workers are getting hammered with criminal charges.
2. Michigan-native and Education Secretary Betsy Devos has resigned, citing rhetoric from the president.
3. Ryan Hilton has been charged with murdering his wife, who he reported missing on Jan. 1. Southgate police say he had an argument with his wife and fatally shot her on New Year's Eve.
4. Several Michigan lawmakers have called on Congress to begin impeachment proceedings of the president or want the 25th amendment invoked to remove him from office.
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Daily Forecast
Temperatures are expected to fall and the sun will likely peek itself out sometime over the weekend as Metro Detroit enters the dead of winter.
US Capitol police officer dies of injuries sustained during pro-Trump riots, officials say
One day after supporters of President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol building as Congress worked to count the Electoral College votes to certify president-elect Joe Biden's win, a Capitol police officer passed away due to injuries he sustained while on-duty during the riots.
In a statement released late Thursday, U.S. Capitol Police said Officer Brian D. Sicknick died at around 9:30 p.m.
Police say Sicknick was responding to the riots at the Capitol when he was injured while physically engaging with protesters. He returned to his division office and collapsed.
Sicknick was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, according to police.
Sicknick joined the U.S. Capitol Police department in July 2008 and most recently served in the USCP's First Responder’s Unit.