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Boy, 2, is killed and his brother, 9, is seriously injured after gunman opens fire on car in Detroit

Jun. 19, 2021
Boy, 2, is killed and his brother, 9, is seriously injured after gunman opens fire on car in Detroit

A two-year-old boy was shot dead and his nine-year-old brother was seriously injured after a shooter opened fire on their car on a Detroit freeway Thursday evening.

The father of the two boys had just pulled on to Interstate 75 after leaving the older boy's basketball practice when a car drove beside them and someone started shooting, according to Michigan State Police.

When Brian Christian pulled over, he noticed both of his children had been shot, WDIV reports.

Brison, two, was still in his car seat when he was shot, and was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.

His nine-year-old brother BJ was reported to be in serious condition with a gunshot wound to his arm as of Friday evening.

'I would’ve bet my last dollar that boy was going to be something special,' Christian said of his son Brison.

'I wanted to drive off, but they shot up my car so bad,' Christian told WDIV. 'I applied pressure on his wound. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.'

Detroit Interim Police Chief James White said that investigators were looking for a silver Chrysler 300 with no license plates in relation to Thursday's fatal shooting.

'The Detroit Police Department homicide section are here to support and assist in this investigation and help get this monster off the street,' White said.

Michigan State Police are leading the investigation, according to MSN.

'This is certainly the worst day of this family’s life,' White said. 'I cannot fathom what they must be going through. It’s just absolutely horrible.'

As of Friday, no arrests have been made and no motives have been disclosed over Thursday's fatal shooting in Detroit.

Police say it's 'too early to tell' whether the boys were targeted or if the shooting was the result of road rage.

Thursday's fatal shooting in Detroit comes nearly a month after six-year-old Aiden Leos was killed on May 21 during a road rage incident in Southern California while his mother was driving him to kindergarten.

The accused killer in that case, Marcus Anthony Eriz, was deemed 'an extreme danger to the community' who 'cannot control his temper,' according to Orange County prosecutors.

Eniz was arrested after pulling a gun on another driver just days after killing Leos, according to officials.

According to a June 1 New York Times report, homicide rates in large cities were up more than 30 percent on average last year, with another 24 percent increase for the beginning of this year, criminologists told the news outlet.

The Detroit Free Press reports that homicides and shootings saw a sharp increase in 2020, with 2021 already on track to be another very violent year in the Motor City.

As of June 1, there were 121 homicides in Detroit in 2021, up 21 percent compared to the same time last year, the news outlet reported earlier this month.


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