Skilla Baby was the confirmed target in a Detroit shooting that left him injured. Police fired up an investigation as city leaders rally around the rapper.

A woman died and a man was injured early Tuesday in a shooting on Detroit's east side, police said. Capt. John Stewart with the Detroit Police Department's 9th Precinct said officers went to a home on Pinewood Street near Gratiot Avenue and Seven Mile Road just before 4 a.m. after receiving an alert from its ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology. "Upon arriving, officers encountered a male exiting the location who stated he was shot," Stewart said. "He was immediately conveyed to a hospital, where he is in stable condition." Officers then went into the home and found a woman in her 20s who had been fatally shot, the captain said. According to a preliminary investigation, there was some disturbance inside the home, multiple shots were fired and a vehicle fled the location, Stewart said. "We're in the early phases of the investigation," he said. "We're looking at all angles right now." Stewart also said no one is in custody in connection with the double shooting at this time. Anyone with information about the shooting should call the Detroit Police Department's Homicide Unit at (313) 596-2260 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. Tuesday's fatal shooting is the most recent in Detroit. On Monday, a 23-year-old Detroit man was fatally shot by state police troopers after he allegedly fired at them on the city's west side. A trooper was hit in the lower back, leg, and vest and injured. Last month, an innocent bystander who was bringing home groceries died after an argument escalated to gunfire on Detroit's east side. In March, a person died and another was seriously injured in a shooting in the 15000 block of Forrer Street on the city's west side. In January, city officials said Detroit recorded its fewest criminal homicides last year since 1965, according to the police department's data. They also said the city's violent crime in 2024 dropped 7.2% from 2023. cramirez@detroitnews.com @CharlesERamirez This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: 1 dead, 1 wounded in Detroit shooting

Detroit — The man accused of causing the largest mass shooting in Michigan history in 2024 in Detroit will stand trial on 36 felonies, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and felony firearm. District Court Judge Shawn Jacque with Detroit's 36th District Court on Monday found there was enough evidence for Demitrus Shaw to go to trial on charges that accuse him of killing two people and injuring 16 others at a July 7 block party in Detroit. Three other people were injured in the shooting, but prosecutors dismissed the charges after they could not offer testimony showing they were shot. Shaw, 19, said during his eight-hour interrogation with Detroit police and Michigan State Police that he and five other people went to a block party on Rossini Drive in Detroit to conduct a shooting in retaliation for another shooting a year prior. It stemmed from disputes between two gangs, Michigan State Police Sgt. Michael Klenner testified. Jacque said there is “ample evidence” of probable cause that Shaw committed the crimes he is charged with. Despite Shaw only admitting to firing two shots before someone else took the gun from him, Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Natayai Scott said prosecutors do not have to prove that Shaw's bullets struck the victims for him to be guilty of attempted murder and murder. "The people maintain he is the principal. He was the driver of the vehicle taking these people to the scene to commit murder and attempted murder," Scott said. "When he shot into that crowd, every single person that was in the line of fire, became a victim, whether or not they were hit." Shaw is the only person charged in the attack. He gave police the names of four or five other people who were with him, but none have been charged so far. Prosecutors said the case remains under investigation. Shaw's attorney, Mohammed Nasser, said he respects Jacque's decision, even though he disagrees with it. During his closing argument, Nasser said "zero" witnesses put his client at the scene. "Zero witnesses showing my client doing any shootings," he said. "... What you have here is an alleged admission of two shots. Two shots does not articulate into 37 (sic) counts that are bound over today." Nearly all the evidence connecting Shaw to the shooting came from his interrogation, which Nasser tried and failed to have quashed. Nasser said police should have reread Shaw his Miranda rights — his rights to remain silent and to have an attorney — at several points during the interrogation, but Jacque said there were not adequate findings that Shaw's confession was involuntary. Nasser also argued that police should not have lied to Shaw during the interrogation, making him believe the evidence they had against him was better than it was. Scott said police do have the right to lie to defendants during interrogations. Nasser said Detroit Police Officer Sgt. Reginald Beasley used “racial coercion” to try to get Shaw to talk when Beasley told Shaw that people from Detroit rip up jury summons, and that he may be tried by a jury of white people instead of people who “look like” him. "I believe that statement, taken under the totality of the circumstances, would show a complete lack of empathy as it relates to Miranda, and more importantly, using racially biased terms in order to coerce a an alleged admission," Nasser said. But Jacque said that statement could be interpreted as Beasley’s opinion, and that he did not find it to be “so offensive and so overwhelming that they would overwhelm the defendant and cause him to make an involuntary statement." Klenner testified that police recovered shell casings connected to two other shootings Shaw was alleged to have been involved in, including a drive-by shooting in Detroit. This was what led them to Shaw as a suspect, Klenner said. He did not offer details on ballistics, and prosecutors did not ask him about them. In all, 14 witnesses testified, eight of whom were victims of the shooting. None of the victims said they saw who shot them, though two women said they believed there was more than one shooter. Shanae Fletcher, 20, of Harrison Township and Phillip Arnold, 21, of Detroit, were killed July 7 at the large block party on Rossini Street in Detroit. Klenner testified that Shaw and his family are members of the 55 gang, an associate of the Los Angeles gang the Bloods. The area of Rossini where the block party took place is known to be a Bloods area, Klenner said, but the party was hosted by the Crips, a rival gang. In an interrogation video played in court, Shaw shared with Beasley what he was thinking before the shooting. “I had second thoughts. Once everyone got out it was just that,” Shaw told Beasley in the video. “I was telling them this ain’t a good idea, but it’s like 'we’re already here.'” Shaw said he was just “following wherever they’re going," referring to the other people he was with. Klenner said police have video of three shooters lining up on the side of a car parked in a driveway, then beginning to shoot. None of the people in the video are identifiable, Klenner said. Police believe there were three other shooters as well, as Shaw told them the others went down another driveway. Shaw claimed he only fired twice, and that someone else then took his gun. "They was really mad at me because I only let off two shots and I ran," Shaw said. Both Klenner and Beasley said they have videos of the shooters, but said they were unable to identify who they were. They could not even tell their race or sex, Beasley said. None of the eight victims who testified during Shaw's preliminary exam said they saw who shot them, instead describing a chaotic scene with too many gunshots to count. Shaw is also charged with the May 31 nonfatal shooting of a 37-year-old Detroit man on Collingham Drive in Detroit. Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here. This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Judge says there is 'ample evidence' man caused Detroit mass shooting, largest in state history

Detroit — The largest mass shooting in Michigan history was in retaliation for another shooting a year prior, and stemmed from disputes between two gangs, a Michigan State Police sergeant testified Wednesday. Nearly all of the evidence connecting Demitrus Shaw to the July 7 shooting in Detroit that left two dead and 19 injured came from Shaw’s nearly eight-hour interrogation with MSP and Detroit police. Shaw is the only person charged in the attack, which took place during a large block party. State Police Detective Sgt. Michael Klenner testified during Shaw's preliminary examination that police recovered shell casings connected to two other shootings Shaw was alleged to have been involved in, including a drive-by shooting in Detroit. This was what led them to Shaw as a suspect, Klenner said. He did not offer details on these ballistics; prosecutors did not ask him about them. Shaw, 19, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, 19 counts of assault with intent to murder and 21 counts of felony firearm. 36th District Court Judge Shawn Jacque said Wednesday there was too much evidence to go over to finish the exam Wednesday. The hearing will resume Monday, when the judge will decide if there is probable cause to send the case to trial. Shaw's attorney, Mohammed Naser, questioned Klenner and Detroit Police Sgt. Reginald Beasley about the length of Shaw's interrogation, and said Beasley lied to Shaw about the evidence police had against him. "It's obvious that there's no eyewitness testimony, anything, and that the police are using, I would say questionable tactics in terms of eliciting a response from my client," Naser said. In all, 14 witnesses testified, eight of whom were victims of the shooting. None of the victims said they saw who shot them, though two women said they believed there was more than one shooter. Shanae Fletcher, 20, of Harrison Township and Phillip Arnold, 21, of Detroit, were killed July 7 at the large block party on Rossini Street in Detroit. Klenner said Shaw told him during the interrogation that the group of six people went to Rossini Street to shoot someone in retaliation for an associate of his being shot a year prior. Police do not believe this person was at the party, Klenner said, nor that there was anyone related to his shooting at the party. Klenner testified that Shaw and his family are members of the 55 gang, an associate of the Los Angeles gang the Bloods. The area of Rossini where the block party took place is known to be a Bloods area, Klenner said, but the party was hosted by the Crips, a rival gang. In an interrogation video played in court, Shaw shared with Beasley what he was thinking before the shooting. “I had second thoughts. Once everyone got out it was just that,” Shaw told Beasley in the video. “I was telling them this ain’t a good idea, but it’s like 'we’re already here.'” Shaw said he was just “following wherever they’re going," referring to the other people he was with. Klenner said police have video of three shooters lining up on the side of a car parked in a driveway, then beginning to shoot. None of the people in the video is identifiable, Klenner said. Police believe there were three other shooters as well, as Shaw told them the others went down another driveway. Shaw claimed he only shot twice, and that someone else then took his gun. "They was really mad at me because I only let off two shots and I ran," Shaw said. Both Klenner and Beasley said they have videos of the shooters, but said they were unable to identify who they were. They could not even tell their race or sex, Beasley said. Klenner said there were four kinds of casings found at the suspect’s side of the scene, though Beasley said he thought it was six kinds. There were also casings found on the party side of the shooting, near where the victims were, Klenner said, though he didn’t recall how many kinds. None of the eight victims who testified Tuesday said they saw who shot them, instead describing a chaotic scene with too many gunshots to count. Among the non-fatal shooting victims were a 16-year-old girl, two 17-year-old girls, a 17-year-old boy, a 19-year-old woman, two 20-year-old women and two 22-year-old men, all of Detroit; a 17-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, both of Clinton Township; two 18-year-old women from Eastpointe; a 20-year-old Oak Park woman; a 21-year-old woman, a 21-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman from Highland Park; a 21-year-old woman from Southfield; and a 21-year-old woman from Chesterfield Township. Shaw is also charged with the May 31 nonfatal shooting of a 37-year-old Detroit man on Collington Drive in Detroit. The shooting on Rossini Avenue was one of several violent incidents at Detroit block parties during the Fourth of July weekend. Following the incident, Detroit police officials required officers to participate in the department's Mobile Field Force, the unit that handles block parties and large gatherings. This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan's largest mass shooting stemmed from gang dispute, suspect told police

Detroit — None of the eight victims who testified Tuesday about being injured in the largest mass shooting in Michigan history said they saw who shot them, instead describing a chaotic scene with too many gunshots to count. Diamond Cheatham said "it was so many I can't remember," noting it was at least more than 20 shots. She did not know where the shots came from. Chelsea Jackson said she heard "probably about over 100 shots." The victims testified Tuesday during the preliminary examination for Demetrus Shaw, the only person charged so far in what prosecutors characterized as an ongoing investigation into a mass shooting at a July 7 block party in Detroit that left two people dead and 19 injured. Detroit police have said they believe the shooting stemmed from a gang dispute. Shaw, 19, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, 19 counts of assault with intent to murder and 21 counts of felony firearm. If convicted, he faces life in prison. The homicide victims were Shanae Fletcher, 20, of Harrison Township and Phillip Arnold, 21, of Detroit. Among the non-fatal shooting victims were a 16-year-old girl, two 17-year-old girls, a 17-year-old boy, a 19-year-old woman, two 20-year-old women and two 22-year-old men, all of Detroit; a 17-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, both of Clinton Township; two 18-year-old women from Eastpointe; a 20-year-old Oak Park woman; a 21-year-old woman, a 21-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman from Highland Park; a 21-year-old woman from Southfield; and a 21-year-old woman from Chesterfield Township. Shaw's attorney, Mohammed Naser, asked each of the victims if they were treated for their injuries before or after they spoke to police. He declined to comment after the preliminary examination ended Tuesday, noting it was still ongoing. It will continue Wednesday with three remaining witnesses. Police arrived just after 2:30 a.m. July 7 at Rossini Drive near Gratiot Avenue for a report of a shooting. Some of the victims had already left the scene before police arrived, being driven to the hospital by friends or other party-goers. Others, like Fletcher, were left behind. Detroit Police Officer Daniel Havern said Fletcher was not breathing and had no pulse when he arrived. She was bleeding from the head. Jawan Mitchell said he was shot in the leg next to his cousin, Arnold. He had only been at the party for a few minutes before the shooting began. "I was laying on my stomach, and by the time I turned to my back, he was talking to me and his last words were 'cuz I love you.' And that's it," Mitchell said. Mitchell, like the other victims who testified Tuesday, said he did not see who shot him. But he could tell the shots came from the direction of the driveway across from him. Mitchell was the only one of the victims who testified Tuesday who said he had a gun, but he did not fire it because he couldn't see the shooter. He said he saw someone run and hop a fence after the shooting stopped. Starkesha Charleston was grazed in the head, and her older sister Starlitha Charleston was shot in the arm and back. Starkesha said her friend, who did not testify Tuesday, also was shot. The three of them had been there for only a few minutes before the shots started. "I was running," Starkesha Charleston said of the moments after the first shot came. "Most of us were shot so we couldn't do anything but run." Chelsea Jackson, who had been shot in the thigh, said she fell to the ground and had to crawl behind a bush to hide as the shots continued. Someone carried her into a nearby house and she stayed there until an ambulance took her to the hospital. Darah Orr and Mariah Ruffin said they didn't see anyone shooting, but Orr said "clearly there was more than one shooter." Neither prosecutors nor Naser asked the women why they believed there was more than one shooter. Ruffin was shot in the leg, and Orr was shot in the right forearm. "I was running to get in front of another car," Orr said. "The area I was in was too open so I was trying to take cover." Ruffin said she crawled behind a bush after she heard the shots start. She hadn't realized at first that she had been hit, until she went to scratch her leg and her hand came back bloody. "I ran," Ruffin said of when she heard the shots. "Everyone was running every which way." Shaw is also charged with the May 31 nonfatal shooting of a 37-year-old Detroit man on Collington Drive in Detroit. The shooting on Rossini Avenue was one of several violent incidents at Detroit block parties during the Fourth of July weekend. Following the incident, Detroit police officials required officers to participate in the department's Mobile Field Force, the unit that handles block parties and large gatherings. Prior to the shooting, officers volunteered for the detail, although the department was shorthanded during the holiday weekend because officials said there weren't enough officers staffing the unit. kberg@detroitnews.com Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here. This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Victims of largest mass shooting in Michigan history said they couldn't see shooter

A second man wanted in connection with the shooting of a 2-year-old boy Tuesday night has turned himself in, Detroit police said at a press conference Wednesday. Darius Lacey, 27, allegedly went inside his ex’s home to move some items out, Detroit…