MORE GUN VIOLENCE
May 4, 2007
As temperatures grow warmer and city residents more restless, gun violence increases on the streets of Detroit.
Last evening on the city’s northwest side, 20-year-old Michael Parker and 19-year-old LaKeesa Jones were gun down in front of their own home. They were high school sweethearts, neighbors say, and had two children together. While the couple’s children were not at home when the violence occurred, many other youngsters witnessed the shooting.
One onlooker reports, “The kids were in the backyard playing in the pool. All of a sudden, we all heard gunshots, so we ran to the front of the house. I didn’t see who pulled the trigger but I saw a black van speed away. And the bodies were left bleeding in that driveway over there.” He points to the bloodstained pavement.
Family members and neighbors have created a memorial to the couple – a collection of teddy bears, flowers and candles – to honor the memory of the deceased. While gestures such as these are sincere in their intent, they are largely inadequate to quench the grief of this suffering community.
Unfortunately, as with too many homicides in the city of Detroit, the suspect is still at large. Police promise they are doing everything they can to catch the killer. Having no eyewitnesses and no clear motive, however, they have little with which to build a case. Still, police urge anyone with any information to come forward immediately.
Bullet shells from the .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol still litter the street on this 12000 block of Gainer. Perhaps stunned that the crime was committed in broad daylight, or shocked that yet another murder has occurred, residents of this community simply sit on their porches, wait and wonder.
This is the fourth incident of its kind to occur during the last 3 months.
Contact E.E. Kelley at e.e.kelley@hotmail.com
