Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Monday that “tremendous tension” among city residents after weeks in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic contributed to a weekend of gun violence that left four people dead and 25 wounded.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer imposed statewide shelter-in-place orders and shut down nonessential business in mid-March in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Detroit and other major cities across the country have begun reopening in phases after weeks stuck at home.
“There’s a trend,” Craig said at a press conference, according to The Detroit News. “I began to really start thinking about what is going on. We predicted early on … that because of COVID and certainly the stay-at-home [order], that there would be tremendous tension, tremendous stress, and what we’re seeing manifesting are these argument-based, senseless shootings among people who are acquainted and attending block parties.”
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The weekend violence in Detroit included a mass shooting in which five people were shot. Craig said most of the shootings originated as arguments, with four of the incidents occurring at parties around the city.
In one incident, a 37-year-old man and his two daughters, aged 9 and 10, were shot while setting off fireworks on their block. The man and the 10-year-old girl were left in critical condition. The 9-year-old girl was treated and released.
Homicides have risen about 32 percent in Detroit so far this year. The city has reported 134 homicides year-to-date, according to police data. Violent crimes are up 7.5 percent in 2020.
Craig noted other large cities, such as Chicago and Los Angeles, have seen spikes in violence in recent weeks. At least 14 people were killed in Chicago in shootings over Father’s Day weekend, while another 104 people were shot.
