A woman was shot at killed inside this Detroit home after an argument turned violent. The suspect then went to a Detroit police station, inset, and was hit by a car driven by the victim’s son as she walked inside, Detroit police said. (WXYZ/YouTube)
An argument at a baby shower in Detroit turned deadly when a woman pulled out a gun and shot her longtime friend, according to police. Not long after, the suspect drove to a police station to turn herself in and was hit by a car driven by the victim’s son as she was walking inside, police said.
The wild sequence of events occurred Sunday night on the city’s east side. Family members identified the victim to local ABC affiliate WXYZ as 53-year-old Phebe Williams. The family members told the outlet the suspect whom Williams had known for years showed up uninvited to the baby shower.
Williams and the suspect started arguing about one of Williams’ sons. The suspect had accused Williams’ son of a crime and said she had reported it to Detroit police on Friday, the relatives said. That’s when things turned physical and Williams allegedly struck her friend; someone else may have spit on her as well. The suspect pulled out a gun and shot Williams once, killing her, family members said.
“Y’all could have just fought. You didn’t have to pull a gun,” Williams’ niece Shavonda Carter told the TV station. “There’s kids in the house. It’s a lot of people in the house so why would you pull out a gun?”
Capt. Donna McCord of the Detroit Police Department told reporters Monday that after the shooting, the suspect went to a police station. Williams’ son followed her and hit her with his car as she was walking into the building, McCord said.
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The woman was taken to the hospital where she was last listed in serious condition. Her relatives told WXYZ they believe she acted in self-defense when she shot Williams, claiming she was trying to leave before she was prevented from doing so.
But police aren’t buying it. McCord said the “senseless” gun violence has to stop.
“Even licensed gun, CPL holders, which our shooter was, a licensed CPL holder, they have to be responsible with their weapons,” McCord said. “If something happens and you need police assistance, please call us. Let us deal with the situation. Don’t take the matter into your own hands. If you can get away, get away. Call 911. Let us come in and handle the situation.”
Both the shooter and the victim’s son are in police custody. Detroit Police Department detectives are continuing to investigate and will turn over their findings to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, which will ultimately decide what charges to file.
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