DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit police are investigating a quadruple shooting at a senior housing complex. Investigators said the suspect and the victims are all in their 60s and 70s, and the suspect was shot with his own weapon.
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It happened Monday night around 9:30 pm at the Sheridan Apartments on East Jefferson.
Joe Nathan Piper said living at the complex hasn’t been any different than his time living in other parts of Detroit. It just so happens to be a complex for low-income seniors, and after calling it home for 7 years, Piper said the quadruple shooting doesn’t surprise him.
“Detroit. Kind of petty junk happens around here, ya know?” Piper said. “Age really doesn’t matter, man, 60, 70. Some people are thugs for life. It just happens."
Piper quipped, “They just get older and stupider."
Detroit police said a man got upset with a group of people behind the building barbecuing, having a good time, and making noise.
“He told them if they didn’t stop making noise, he was going to come down and take care of ‘em. He came down (and) started firing shots,” said Deputy Chief Arnold Williams.
DPD said three people were hit by gunfire.
It all went down across the courtyard from Robert Merriwether’s apartment.
“You would think we know better than to get involved in something like that because when you have an act that serious, you’re making a life-changing experience, not only for them but for yourself. You’re going to do some time," he said.
The suspect was tackled by one of the victims, according to investigators. His gun was knocked loose, and then a Good Samaritan, a woman, grabbed the suspect’s gun and shot the suspect.
Williams explained, "It was an elderly woman who retrieved that weapon and fired that shot.”
He said everyone involved, all in their 60s and 70s, is in stable condition.
Merriwether said, “I’m going to have to do some digging, and I pray that it’s no one I became friends with in the building. But usually the ones that get into serious trouble are outsiders."
A resident named Kathy said both residents and outsiders create problems and that pretty much anything goes.
“It’s a party, a party. It’s a party building. It ain’t a senior citizen building," she said. “Managers and the workers in here, they know what goes on, but don’t nobody want to get in nobody’s life.”
7 News Detroit reached out to the Detroit Housing Commission for comment.
Executive director Arthur Jemison said:
We are saddened by the incident and will continue to work closely with the Detroit Police Department and our private security firm on any security issues on the property. We have released a request for qualifications for developers to undertake a complete rehab of the building, which includes security improvements. We expect the developer to be selected this fall.
Over the past few months, DHC has conducted a series of meetings with residents and DPD to discuss their concerns and gather input on the challenges residents think we should work on together.
