EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Eastpointe police are calling a Friday evening shooting the result of "road rage."
The shooting took place at a stop sign in the intersection of Stricker Avenue and David Avenue in Eastpointe.
Darren Tennant, who lives across the street, gave 7 Action News his doorbell cam footage which captured the shooting.
According to Eastpointe police Lt. Robert Koenigsmann, the Ram pickup truck pulled up to the stop sign quickly with a 60-year-old driver and female passenger inside.
Soon after an 18-year-old on a mini-bike pulls up to the passenger side of the Ram and the 60-year-old truck driver shoots him, killing him.
"There was some gestures allegedly that the 18-year-old was making and he’s (the driver) claiming self defense," said Lt. Koenigsmann.
Tennant said he's unsure, "There’s two sides to every story but you’ll never hear the side of the deceased young man."
Koenigsmann said that the female passenger in the truck called 911 directly after the shooting and the truck waited around the corner for police.
He says the driver and passenger have been fully cooperative and are claiming self defense.
He also says that the female passenger claims she called 911 before the shooting when they first encountered the mini-bike and were trying to get away from the rider.
"I think it could have been prevented if the driver had just probably just pulled off because a Dodge Truck and a mini-bike?" said Tennant.
Neighbor Clarence Sanders told 7 Action News the whole event concerns him, "because of the uptick in violence we're seeing."
Michigan State Police says that road rage cases are on the rise in Michigan.
Research from Everytown for Gun Safety and Support Fund reports that 44 people a month were killed or injured in road rage shootings in 2021, double the average reported in 2019.
"I don’t know what to think, it’s like nobody cares about anything anymore," said Sanders.
Darren Tennant is a father to two young adults. His 17-year-old son Daion Tennant saw the victim's body in the road when he got home Friday night.
He told 7 Actions News the scarring memory will make him think twice when he sees someone upset on the road, "You could probably leave stuff alone and go about your day."
Eastpointe police say they are working with the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office to decide how they'll proceed with this case.
They also said that the shooter is an Eastpointe resident and is currently at home and fully cooperative with police.
