A 14-year-old boy was shot in downtown Detroit over the weekend as officials continue to grapple with teens congregating in the city. The city mayor and police chief both spoke out about parents’ roles and city efforts in the aftermath.
The 14-year-old was expected to recover after being shot in the chest about 9:40 p.m. Sunday, May 17, in the area of Library Street and Grand River Avenue, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said at the scene that evening. Two older teens were taken into custody.
Two groups of teens had come together on Library Street and an altercation took place, the police chief said.
One teen “decided to settle it with a firearm” and fired multiple shots, the chief said.
A Community Violence Intervention team member was nearby and able to provide first aid to the 14-year-old boy, the chief said. A weapon was recovered, and a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old were detained.
It comes as city officials ramp up efforts to stem summer violence, offer teens safe evening activities, and keep youths from swarming downtown as they did earlier in the year, startling business owners and running into police.
Bettison highlighted the city’s teen curfew — 10 p.m. for youths under 15 and 11 p.m. for teens 16 to 17 — and shared a warning for parents.
“We’re going to hold parents accountable, as well,” the chief said, later noting: “You need to know where your children are.”
Just on Saturday, May 17, 60 teens were detained downtown, the chief said.
The police department, in a release, stated more teens were also taken into custody at Palmer Park, and noted that of the 109 overall detained, all but two were for curfew violations. Two others were for disorderly conduct and tobacco possession. Officers also issued 15 parental responsibility citations. Multiple juveniles were not from Detroit.
Updated numbers for the whole weekend were not immediately available.
Detroit Mayor Sheffield says there will be ‘zero tolerance’ for teen disruptions downtown
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield also spoke out Monday, May 18, in the wake of the shooting and curfew enforcement over the weekend. Following a news conference on sidewalk repairs, Sheffield spoke to reporters and emphasized “parental responsibility.”
Her team will continue to be proactive, she said, while highlighting a focus on accountability and enforcement as well as efforts like those to create safe spaces for young people.
“There’s a large portion of young people who want to come down and just enjoy themselves, but you do have a group of individuals who come down and cause chaos and disruption, and those individuals will be held accountable,” the mayor said. “We have zero tolerance for disruptive and criminal behavior.”
The mayor also took to social media, with a statement on her behalf posted to the city’s Facebook page. In it, Sheffield said teens gathering downtown is not a problem in itself but that the disorderly behavior over the weekend will not be tolerated.
Parents face hefty fines if kids break Detroit curfew
Any parent or guardian whose child is found to violate curfew will also get a ticket when they come to pick up their kid, Detroit Police Department Media Director Jasmin Barmore said. Any incident with a gun will also be reviewed by the county prosecutor.
Parents face a $250 fine for a first offense of their child breaking curfew, and a $500 fine for a repeat offense.
Police will be increasing their enforcement efforts, Bettison said
“Detroit is a happening city, it’s a fun city, but I’m going to make sure it’s a safe city as well,” he said.
Detroit Free Press city hall reporter Dana Afana contributed to this report.