(WXYZ) — Police and victim advocates are pushing for more protections for domestic violence survivors after a recent rash of incidents ending in death in metro Detroit.
On May 8, Southfield police say one person was killed and another person was critically injured in a shooting at the Detroit Marriott Southfield.
Police say the shooter tracked his ex-girlfriend and new boyfriend to a hotel. The alleged shooter waited in the parking lot until the two came outside and then began firing shots. Police say a 41-year-old woman died as a result and a 41-year-old man was critically injured. The shooter was later killed by police after they tracked him down in the city of Detroit and say he reached for an assault rifle.
On May 11, police were called to a home in the 300 block of Alhambra Street in Pontiac for a wellness check. Inside the home, police found the bodies of 50-year-old Dr. Calandra Green and her husband, 52-year-old Charles Green. Police say the two had been fatally shot in an apparent murder-suicide. Calandra Green served as a county health officer in Oakland County.
The medical examiner ruled Calandra Green's death as a homicide and Charles Green's death as a suicide, according to officials.
On Saturday, Detroit police say 29-year-old Patrice Wilson was kidnapped while leaving her overnight shift at Detroit Receiving Hospital. Police say the young mother was approached by her ex-boyfriend Jamere Miller in a wig before being forced into the passenger seat at gunpoint. Police say they later found Wilson's body in the trunk of her car at an apartment complex in Novi.
Wilson's mother told 7 Action News in an interview that Miller wouldn't allow her daughter to move on despite her ignoring his advances. The 29-year-old leaves behind a son. Family and friends have set up a GoFundMe account in an effort to start a scholarship fund for him.
"When I saw her face and she was the same age as my sister, it just kind of resonated," said Katrina Carmichael-Calhoun, who is the founder of Sada's House in Garden City.
Sada's House is an anti-domestic violence organization that works to help domestic violence survivors with resources and support. Carmichael started the organization after watching domestic violence in her home growing up, losing a sister to domestic violence and later becoming a victim herself.
Carmichael says May 20 will mark the 20th anniversary of her sister Michelle's death.
"It’s just a soft place for me hearing a woman lose her life because I know how my life changed when my sister was murdered and having to look at her three children and tell them that they would never see their mother again, that was the hardest day of my life," said Carmichael.
According to Michigan State Police data, there were 70,564 people who were victims of domestic violence in 2021. Statistics show more than 58,000 of those victims were physically assaulted and 83 people were killed.
"I’ve almost become numb to it because it’s like we’re talking, we’re marching but nothing is getting done. It’s almost like we keep coming to the party, but nobody is dancing," said Carmichael of advocates efforts." (Domestic violence) doesn’t have any sort of socioeconomic aspect to it. It doesn’t have a color aspect to it, a gender or anything. It’s whoever I have power and control over."
Victim advocates say personal protection orders are an option for victims, but it’s not enough and is often not taken seriously by their violent abusers.
Carmichael says she wants to see more funding for domestic violence support and resources, some sort of tracking system for people who are harassing their victims such as a tether and tougher laws for repeat offenders.
"I don’t think they should be able to walk the streets like everybody else, especially when you are totally victimizing women and your children," said Carmichael.
