DETROIT (WWJ) -- As authorities deal with a rash of road rage shootings on area freeways, Detroit Police are planning the start of Operation Brison.
Detroit Police Department Interim Chief James White says the initiative will partner DPD with other local agencies and use air support to target those committing violent crimes on the highways.
White says the recent string of road rage shootings has to stop, and urged residents to come forward if they have information about any crime.
Operation Brison is named for the 2-year-old boy, Brison Christian, who was shot and killed in an incident that happened last week on I-75 in Detroit.
The shooting, which also wounded his 9-year-old brother BJ, occurred in a case of mistaken identity, and two suspects were charged with Brison's murder on Tuesday.
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"Operation Brison is about honoring this baby who didn't get a chance to live, get a chance to go to school, didn't get a chance to graduate," White said during the press conference.
The Christian family was also present for the announcement, and father Brian Christian applauded Detroit Police for their swift action following the senseless killing of his son.
"The way that you guys acted and put the case together fast to help us find peace with the situation, I couldn't thank you guys enough," he said.
Michigan State Police on Tuesday released statistics on freeway shootings, reporting there have been 24 on Detroit-area freeways and highways, including 22 within the city limits and two in the suburbs.
MSP says 11 of those incidents involved suspects who were known to the victim, seven were the result of road rage incidents and six of the freeway shootings are from unknown motives or uncooperative victims.
The rash of shootings on the roadways have resulted in deaths.
Police say one was gang-related, one involved domestic assault, and one mistaken retaliation for an incident that began off the freeway.
“We must find a way to settle disputes without violence and make cooperating with police a normal thing.” MSP said in a tweet, echoing sentiments voiced by First Lt. Mike Shaw at Tuesday’s press conference.
“Gun violence must stop today,” Shaw said emphatically. “And it’s not just us. This is a community effort of all of us.”
Shaw detailed a number of incidents that have resulted in gun violence in recent weeks, including an 18-year-old Brighton man accused of fatally shooting his father following a dispute, an officer-involved shooting in West Michigan and an officer confronted during a parade in Flint.