PONTIAC (WXYZ) — In a recent shooting in Pontiac, a 22-year-old man was killed in a residential neighborhood.
According to one of the residents, Lilly Thomson, after the victim got shot, he rammed his vehicle into multiple parked cars.
"All the neighbors came out, we pulled him out, we saw that he wasn’t breathing and seizing, so I started giving CPR with this girl," Thomson said.
But even with all that effort, deputies revealed the man was shot in his rib cage area. Paramedics transported the victim to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
A former resident, Noal Medina, thinks this shooting isn’t random.
"It didn’t happen for no reason. He did something, I’ll tell you that," Medina said.
Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe says the investigation is ongoing and they have identified a suspect.
"It looks like three people, including the shooter, met up with the victim in the parking lot there. Some sort of exchange took place. We are not sure what it was, but it looks like a drug deal gone bad and then a robbery," McCabe said.
So far, 13 people have been killed this year in Pontiac; of which, five murders alone have been recorded since Halloween.
"Drive-by shootings have been going on for several months now, the uptick on those, we have identified two groups — we know who they are," McCabe said.
To tackle the growing gang-related crime, various law enforcement agencies are now involved including the FBI and the violent crime and gang task force.
"A couple of years ago, we only had four homicides. The year after that, we had 16, and most of these homicides, like 95%-plus, it's people who know each other," McCabe said.
McCabe also added that his office and other agencies will be announcing charges very soon against people involved in drive-by shootings.
Meanwhile, last night's shooting has reinforced Thomson’s decision to move.
"Just because you'd rather be safe than sorry. Because even though some things can be gang related, sometimes you are the wrong person at the wrong place," Thomson said.
