Woman fatally shot by Detroit police, carjacking footage out of Livonia, Moderna on the Omicron variant
Detroit police shoot woman who waved firearm at gas station customers before pointing it at officers
A deadly shooting at a gas station at Hayes and Seven Mile Road in Detroit Sunday evening left one dead after police shot a woman who was allegedly waving a firearm at customers inside. Chief James White called the day a tragedy and believes his officers followed protocol.
MONDAY NEWS HIT - A deadly shooting involving officers with the Detroit Police Department left one woman dead early Sunday evening.
Police initially responded to a gas station on the city's east side after reports that a woman was waving a gun at customers and not allowing them to enter the business.
When police arrived, another woman was walking in when she spotted the firearm, turning around immediately. At that point, police had arrived at the scene.
The suspect then pointed the firearm at police, leading to officers firing at her. It all unfolded around 6 p.m. Dec. 19.
"I don't know what words were exchanged, all of that is going to be gathered as we investigate through their work. But she did in fact point the gun at a number of people that were inside the station - I did see that on the video," said Detroit Police Chief James White.
The suspect was taken to Ascension St. John hospital by Detroit police, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation, which is underway at the Sunoco gas station, remains active.
White said he believed the officers involved had followed protocol.
"It's a tragic day. My heart goes out to the family. This is someone's sister, perhaps someone's mother, certainly someone's daughter so it's a tragic day," said White.
Michigan State Police are currently leading their own investigation into the Sunday shooting.
Police still searching for hit-and-run suspect
On July 4 of this year, 28-year-old Tarrie Daniel was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Southfield. Tarrie was traveling in his motorized wheelchair on Martha Washington Drive when he was hit. He was dragged for about 220ft by a 2009-2011 Jaguar XF.
"Everyone in the neighborhood knew him. He was the neighborhood spokesperson I would want to say," said Charrie Daniel, Tarrie's twin sister. "He helped out the neighborhood… His main job was taking people's trash out on trash day and bringing their garbage cans back."
Tarrie Daniel killed in a hit-and-run, the driver is still wanted by police
Tarrie Daniel was traveling in his motorized wheelchair on Martha Washington Drive when he was struck by a car and killed. The suspect's vehicle is a 2009-2011 Jaguar XF.
The crash was believed to have happened between 2:30am and 6:45am. Tarrie was pronounced dead at the scene. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest of the hit-and-run driver that killed Tarrie Daniel.
Charrie Daniel says the family is increasing the reward to a total of $7,500. Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip at 1(800)SPEAK-UP or on the Crime Stoppers' website.
Detroit continuing to struggle with low vaccine rates
The city of Detroit is approaching the one-year anniversary of its rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines as officials continue to urge residents to get vaccinated or receive booster shots. More than 424,000 doses have been administered to residents 5 and older since frontline medical worker and first responders began receiving vaccines on Dec. 23, 2020.
Over that time, more than 4,330 vaccinations clinics have been held at 513 locations in Detroit. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, more than 2,600 Detroit residents have died from the disease. But the city’s vaccination rate of 44%, which includes children 5 and older, still is far below Michigan’s overall rate.
Detroit’s rate has to reach 70% to achieve community immunity, according to Denise Fair Razo, the city’s chief public health officer. "The vaccines are the best means we have of preventing severe illness," Fair Razo said "We need Detroiters to step up like they always do, because being unvaccinated has consequences for our entire community."
City workers and volunteers have gone to nearly 400,000 homes with information about vaccines and are vaccinating about 200 residents each day in their homes, Fair Razo said.
--Courtesy of the Associated Press
Livonia police release video of carjacking arrests
Livonia police released the video of a pursuit and arrest of two carjacking suspects a month ago. The newly-released video shows officers arrest two 17-year-olds, one from Detroit and the other from Redford Township, who police say stole a Jeep Compass at gunpoint in the area of Eight Mile and Merriman on Nov. 18.
"(The two women inside) were approached by two unknown males in a dark-colored sedan, each wearing ski masks. The male suspects each produced a handgun, stole the vehicle keys to the Jeep, and ordered the females to walk away. One male suspect left in the dark sedan and the other male suspect left in the victim’s Jeep," said a release from Livonia police.
Dashcam video shows officers locate the Jeep in the area of Merriman and Lyndon, being followed by a dark-colored sedan. The driver of the Compass fled until crashing at Plymouth and Stark. The driver fled on foot before being found nearby and taken into custody without incident. A handgun was recovered nearby, investigators say.
Livonia police say the second suspect was spotted by officers and stopped near Farmington and Plymouth. That suspect was arrested without incident and a gun was found inside the sedan. Police said one of the suspects admitted to committing the carjacking. Since both suspects are juveniles they are not being named by investigators at this time. They've since been arraigned in Wayne County Juvenile court.
NHL halts cross-border games through Dec. 23; mulls Olympic participation
Games between NHL teams in the United States and Canada have been postponed in reaction to the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases across the sports world.
The NHL announced an agreement with the players’ union on Sunday that would halt all cross-border games between Dec. 20 and Dec. 23. Those games will be made up at a later date.
Prior to Saturday, 27 NHL games had been postponed due to COVID-19-related events. The upcoming postponements add another 12 to that number. With the Beijing Olympics starting in February, many NHL players are expected to represent their countries at the Winter Games. But the NHL and NHLPA are still discussing whether players will make the trip to China.
The Winter Olympics begin Feb. 3. Participants who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will enter a "closed-loop management system upon arrival" in China. Unvaccinated participants will need to quarantine for 21 days upon their arrival. A decision is expected in the coming days.
What else we're watching
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign legislation meant to entice businesses to Michigan with more than $1 billion in incentives. The economic bill will get the governor's signature alongside key Republicans and the Detroit mayor in the Motor City.
- Moderna says lab tests of its booster vaccine significantly increased antibody levels that could fight off the Omicron variant, the pharmaceutical company said Monday. The strain was more durable against two-dose regiments.
- Is Michigan's COVID-19 surge peaking? It may be too soon to tell, but the day case rates reported each week are beginning to dip while the number of patients hospitalized with the virus has dipped for the second reporting period in a row. Another update will come Monday afternoon.
- Under a new Michigan law, county commissioners will serve four-year terms instead of two-year terms. The bipartisan bill was intended to decrease the "election year politics" that come with shorter terms.
- An old Owosso Catholic school that served families for nearly a century is expected to be demolished. It first opened in 1927.
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Daily Forecast
After last week's 40s, 50s, and 60s, the week leading up to Christmas promises to be much cooler. However, the chance of snow greeting us Christmas Day appears unlikely as conditions are forecasted to be in the 40s on Dec. 24, 25, and 26.
Moderna: COVID booster effective against omicron in tests, will still develop new shot
Moderna said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine booster appears to provide protection against the rapidly-spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus, but it will still continue work developing a new shot specific to the strain.
The drug company said in a statement that preliminary data showed its booster shot currently being used in the U.S. and abroad increased neutralizing antibody levels against omicron 37-fold compared to pre-boost levels. A double dose of the booster — 100ug — provided an 83-fold increase in neutralizing antibody levels, the company said.
The news comes amid warnings about the variant’s rapid spread around the world, which has been detected in at least 89 countries. The World Health Organization first labeled omicron a variant of concern on Nov. 26.
The delta variant still accounts for more than 95% of estimated U.S. COVID-19 cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But agency leaders say omicron is spreading faster than any past variant and will become the dominant strain nationwide within weeks.