Three people have died and four others were injured Sunday morning after a shooting at an after-hours spot in Detroit, police say.
The shooting happened around 7:20 a.m. in the area of Eaton Avenue and Prest Street, which is near Greenfield Road and Grand River Avenue.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison, Mayor Mary Sheffield and other leaders provide information in the video below:
Police Chief Todd Bettison said the department first received a ShotSpotter notification before a 911 call came in. He said officers arrived at the scene within four minutes.
When they arrived, they found three people dead. People at the scene tried giving aid to the victims before first responders arrived.
Four other people were privately taken to the hospital with injuries that are not life threatening, the chief said.
Bettison said there was an altercation that led to shots being fired. Police say there is no ongoing danger to the area.
Bettison says his department had been investigating the location and had been there multiple times.
"I want to first start out by giving our sincere condolences to the (families)," Bettison said during a press conference where he was joined by the mayor and other community leaders.
The victims haven't yet been identified. However, the chief said the victims killed were three men who were about 30 years old and up.
The victims hospitalized are two women and two men in their 20s and 30s.
Bettison said his department had been investigating at the location and visited multiple times.
"Since the beginning of this year, we have had seven calls for service to this address," the chief said. "This address is not new to the Detroit Police Department... I also had an investigation into this address as well."
The chief did not provide specifics to the investigation.
"Regardless of what was occurring in this particular location, no one deserves to have their life ended or to be wounded by gun violence," Bettison said.
He said he has leads but did not go into detail.
"But to the community: know that we will identify the individuals that are responsible for this heinous incident this morning. And we will do that in short order," Bettison said. "We will work this around the clock relentlessly to bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice."
Michigan State Police also responded to the scene.
"This is absolutely heartbreaking," Mayor Mary Sheffield said during the joint press conference. "I want to send my condolences and prayers and thoughts to the families, to friends and to this community who have been impacted by this senseless violence in our community."
Sheffield said the city will continue to crack down on illegal after-hours operations, whether they're at businesses or homes.
"We know that the devastation of gun violence goes far beyond just the incident itself," the mayor said. "And as I stand here today, I see residents all around this community that are gathering and I want to reassure the community, family and friend that through our office of Neighborhood and Community Safety that we will have robust wraparound services for this community and for the families to continue to move forward as we all try to navigate this unfortunate loss."
The shooting was located in a Community Violence Intervention zone, where leaders focus on curbing violence and supporting the community. The Detroit 300 is the CVI group in the area.
"It's unfortunate that we had families who were awakened by the news of this type of tragedy," Detroit City Council President James Tate Jr. said. "Regardless of the situation that took place, there is absolutely no justification for what we saw... I have full confidence in the police department investigation. But I just ask for everyone to please allow for the police department to do that investigation. Whoever is responsible must be brought to justice."
CVI leader Stephen Grady said groups will be working with police and the community to bring healing and prevention efforts.
"I want to give my condolences to the families of those who have been harmed. We ask for all Detroiters, this can't go on in our neighborhoods. We're trying to create decent and safe neighborhoods for everybody to live in," Grady said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
This story was originally published by Natalia Escalante with the Scripps News Group in Detroit.
