Previous home of Detroit family hit by drive-by shooting, their new house was then robbed

Detroit family's home targeted by thieves after drive-by shooting

They later bought a house from the Land Bank and were fixing it up until last week. They say it was burglarized. Windows were stolen, the furnace was gone, and an entire bathroom was torn out.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - You often hear that bad things come in threes. Well, on Tuesday night, one Detroit family is really hoping their bad luck stops at two, after their home was shot up and their new home was ransacked.

Big picture view:

The Whitakers and their three kids were not hurt. Meanwhile, the shooters were never found, so the family had to move for safety.

They later bought a house from the Land Bank and fixed it up until last week. They say it was burglarized. Windows were stolen, the furnace was gone, and an entire bathroom was torn out.

"I don’t see how you could do that to a family, to take everything, all the windows and the furnace. How could you do that? It just breaks my heart," said Kathi Whitaker. "I feel vulnerable and scared because I feel a sense that they were watching the whole time, so that takes away my safety."

They’re back to square one and out thousands of dollars.

They say they felt like sitting ducks because the Land Bank requires buyers to have certain upgrades, like a furnace and hot water heater, installed before moving in, which can make homes a target for break-ins.

What's next:

They had a watchdog staying at the home. He was taken or got out during the burglary. It’s been a couple of weeks, and there’s still no sign of him.

Detroit police say they are investigating.

If you would like to help the family out, you can do so by tapping here.