(WWJ) A violent night erupted in Detroit with a series of shootings overnight Tuesday into Wednesday left one person dead and seven others wounded.
WWJ's Charlie Langton reported that one person who was shot while sitting in a Dodge Durango in the area of Runyon and Greiner later died from his wounds.
Among the other victims was a 17-year old who was shot while at a house party near Seven Mile and Rondo. The teen was last listed in serious condition. Early this morning on Longview, three people were shot in a drive-by shooting. An 18-year old and a 44-year old man are in critical condition.
Langton reported that additionally at Conner and Jefferson a car hit a telephone pole. "That scene is roped off and it could be related to a shooting on Conner near the waterfront," Langton said, adding, "It looks like Detroit police inside a home and Detroit police trying to put the pieces together. A couple of police cars here."
This spate of violence comes after 29 people were shot and four killed on Father's Day weekend in the city.
Police James Craig blamed the shootings on the stress of a pandemic followed by protests that swept the country in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.
"I know that we've seen news reports about the increase in violent crime all over the country, and certainly we were not different," Craig said, at a news conference. "We recognize there has been tremendous tension with this city as well as others, starting with COVID," Craig said. "And, as everyone knows, we went right from COVID to protests that started out violent."
"We predicted early on — and this was certainly pre-Floyd ... that because of the COVID and certainly the stay-at-home, that there would be tremendous tension, tremendous stress."