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Man hoping for arrest of younger brother's killer after argument outside car wash turns deadly

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Posted at 9:35 PM, Oct 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-29 22:33:58-04

DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit police need your help finding the person responsible for shooting and killing a man at a car wash back on Oct. 20 on the city's east side. The shooting happened in broad daylight at a car wash.

“He’s like, 'I’m going to kill you brother,'” said Steven Thomas, after he said he got into an argument earlier with the shooter.

It was just after 2 p.m. on Oct. 20. Orlando Thomas, 42, was working at the car wash on the 12000 block of east McNichols when he was gunned down.

“I hear four shots: boom, boom, boom, boom," Steven said. "So I duck down in the truck. I look up; I look out the truck – there’s my brother laying there."

Steven says it was a busy day at the car wash. He says not only did he argue with the shooter, but his brother and the shooter also got into an argument just before shots were fired.

“He was like, 'I’m going to kill your brother' and I was like no you’re not going to kill my brother," Steven said. "If y’all got a problem, y’all can handle it like men and duke it out."

He says after shots were fired he immediately ran to his brother.

“He was still breathing. He still had a pulse," Steven said. "I was talking to him like, 'brah, you can make it, you can fight this.' He was fighting, but it was like it was too late."

Steven says the death of his baby brother has been extremely hard on the family and has a message for the shooter: “It’s been hard, because we lost a lot. It’s been hard. I just want him to get caught,” he said.