Shooting ends MacKenzie High School reunion

DETROIT (WXYZ) - A 17-year-old male is in critical condition and a 54-year old man was taken to the hospital for a gunshot wound to the head during a high school reunion in Detroit.

Two men were taken into custody for the shootings.

A Detroit police officer injured his leg while following in a foot chase and two other people were hospitalized with injuries.

Darnell Merkeson, class of ‘85 was trying to find the rest of his high school friends at the barbeque when panicked people ran for cover.

“I lost my glasses and everything. Had my lip busted. I asked them to help me,” said Merkeson.
Hundreds of people, alumni members and their families ran from the Mackenzie High School football field like a stampede after several shots were fired at 7:30 pm.

“They started shooting and we was running close together. The bullet half missed me,” said 15-year-old Jakeeshia Thompkins.

“After the shooting began then everyone started shooting,” said Dorothy Williams. “He shot four times then ran and got back up and ran that way toward the crowd,” said another man at the barbeque.

Many ended up on Wyoming Street where police searched for guns and later arrested two males age 22 and 19.

“When they was running and he was shooting and he was like, they robbed me. And he didn’t know who robbed him,” said Thompkins.

At least two people were hit by the bullets; a 17-year-old male and 54-year-old Fred Hill, an alumnus member. Hill made it to his home a few blocks away on Mendota where family members drove him to the hospital for a gunshot wound to the head.

This is the first time in 17 years that the reunion event has been overshadowed by a shooting.

“We don’t want no disgrace. We’re not going to stop. We’re going to let that happen. We are going to be here next year and the year after,” said Deacon Renard Stewart, class of 1990.