DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit police are asking for the public’s help to solve a triple homicide that left a 5-year-old boy dead from gunshot wounds, along with his mother and another man.
They were found on Sunday, but police believe the violent crime happened days prior. Family members are sickened by this crime and the fact that the person responsible is still out there, which is why they are speaking out.
“He was wonderful, very playful. A Beautiful baby, a wonderful grandson,” Shalesa Floyd said.
Floyd won’t be able to hold her grandson 5-year-old Caleb Harris close to hug him and see his smile.
The grandmother from Detroit learned after 5 p.m. on Sunday that he was shot and killed together with his mother and another man at a home near Evergreen Road and Fenkell Avenue.
“I was in total shock. A monster. You shoot my grandson in the face. If you have some type of animosity or retaliation toward an adult, there’s different ways to handle things,” Floyd said.
Detroit school board member and former state Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo is also grieving. Caleb was her cousin and someone she recalls bringing joy to so many.
"Shoot a child in the face multiple times? A 5-year-old, pure, innocent. Nothing to do with adult affairs?” Gay-Dagnogo said.
Activist and community leader Darryl Woods points to the ongoing emergency of countless guns in the hands of violent criminals and the need for more citizens to join with police and condemn these acts of evil.
That’s despite police statistics that indicate homicides were down 4% in 2021 and non-fatal shootings were down 9%.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. We want to be unified. To bring healing and restoration in our community and minister to needs of our children,” Woods said.
Police say the bodies of the victims may have been at the home for days prior to a welfare check revealing the horrific discovery. It’s a situation that haunts this family and leaves them asking the city to help push for change.
“Declare a war against war. We are seeing a war. It’s breaking out in various municipalities and neighborhoods,” Gay-Dagnogo said.
“I’m hurting. It needs to stop. There needs to be something in place to make people second guess and think of something different,” Floyd said.
Police are continuing to comb through nearby surveillance video for leads. Tuesday at 11 a.m., the chief is scheduled to hold a press conference.
