WHITE LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — One teenager is dead and another has been hospitalized after being shot by a homeowner in White Lake Township during an attempted garage break-in.
The White Lake Township Police Department says the two teens were part of a group of seven young adults who entered the garage of a home they did not own.
Hear an update from police in the video below:
We're told the shooting happened early Tuesday morning, near a detached garage at a residence in the 900 block of Mandon Drive.
Investigators say that the homeowner got an alert of activity on his video surveillance. That homeowner, who was awake at the time, got out of his home and fired several shots at the seven people who entered the garage.
All seven people fled on foot when the shots were fired, with two 17-year-olds being hit.
One died at the hospital, while the other is receiving medical treatment at DMC Huron Valley Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Neighbors in the area say this particular home has already been broken into twice before. It's what prompted the homeowner to purchase security cameras.
“This is the third break-in at the same place," neighbor Brandi S. said.
Brandi did not want to reveal her full last name out of retaliation. But she did catch on her home surveillance what sounded like at least seven shots ringing out. Blood stains fill her street and multiple other driveways as the suspects fled.
“After the cameras, we thought it was going to end, you know. He took our advices, we helped him and well, here we are," she said.
Police said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that two arrests, one adult and one teen, have been made in this case. The teen has since been released to his parents, while the adult is "pending issues with other jurisdictions that he will have to take care of." That leaves three suspects unaccounted for.
When asked what sticks out when it comes to this particular crime, Lt. Matthew Ivory with White Lake Township police said "the randomness of it" stood out. He went on to say that "it's an unfortunate incident. We don't want this kind of thing to happen, but we're going to work to bring it to a close and we just ask that people stay safe."
When asked why seven people were entering the garage in the first place, Ivory said "I have no idea, but that's what we're going to find out."
"It's hard to give advice on that," Ivory said when asked about self-defense. "You do have the right to protect your life and I just hope it doesn't come to that. We want to be a safe community and we ask that people stay safe. Obviously as soon as you see something going on, the faster we know, the faster we can get there."
This incident is being investigated by White Lake police. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Jeff Way at 248-698-4404.
