(WXYZ — Hey, you're busy — we get it.
We know a lot happens throughout the week, and you may not catch all of our stories here at WXYZ. So we've decided to gather the most talked-about stories from the past week all in one place that you can check out during your free time over the weekend.
Have a story idea or tip? Feel free to let us know using the contact form below.
Here are the buzz-worthy stories from the week of August 5:
With no time to run, mother describes shielding her daughters in splash pad mass shooting
It's been nearly two months since an man opened fire at the Brooklands Splash Pad in Rochester Hills. The events of that day continue to haunt the families who were trying to enjoy time together.
“We were there less than a minute before the shooting started,” said Micayla Coughlin, survivor of the splash pad shooting. “I just tucked her up under me and got shot five more times after that.”
The courageous mother shielded her two daughters. Her story is unimaginable, and in such a raw way highlights the impact of a mass shooting in our community. At the time, her girls were 2 years old and 6 months old.
“We had never actually taken our toddler to get ice cream before. We decided it would be a fun, special treat to take our toddler,” she said.
Micayla has never talked publicly about the day a mass shooter changed the life of her family forever.
'We are all still alive.' Family continues healing after 8-year-old loses eyesight in splash pad shooting
“Mommy, me and my little brother Julen went to a splash pad in Rochester Hills, and someone with a gun came and he shot me in the head and Julen in the leg,” said Janek.
Janek’s 4-year-old brother, Julen, described the horrifying scene that played out at the Brooklands Splash Pad in Rochester Hills.
“I hear the gunshots. I notice being hit. Pretty much at the same time my 8-year-old screams,” said Johanna Bebout, splash pad shooting survivor.
“From the first moment I hear the gunshots, up to the point of laying there, and us with our wounds — was the maximum two seconds,” she said.
Johanna said she shielded her children with her body.
“I just grab both of my kids, one in my right arm and one in my left and jump over a teeny tiny wall,” she recounted.
Detroit man charged in 2023 murder of Dr. Devon Hoover after year-long investigation
A Detroit man has been charged with the 2023 murder of Dr. Devon Hoover after a year-long investigation.
Officials say an analysis of Hoover's phone records showed that Desmond Burks would charge Hoover for sexual services.
The announcement this week concludes an investigation that lasted over a year, spanning across five states (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Texas and California) and three countries (United States, England, and France).
Worthy laid out the vast amount of information officials used to investigate this case, which included over 100 hours of video interviews, video surveillance from 24 different locations, over 300 pieces of evidence, more than 134 search warrants requested, a Range Rover, two luxury watches and 181 pages of investigators reports. In total, police reportedly retrieved several terabytes of data.
Hoover, 53, was found dead on April 23, 2023, inside his Detroit home on W. Boston Boulevard near Woodward Avenue while police were conducting a wellness check. Police were initially called after Hoover didn't show up in Indiana to visit his mother. During that check, police noticed the driveway gate near the back of the home was wide open, with what appeared to be blood on back door of the home.
Our Sarah Michals also spoke with the wife Reda Saleh, who was killed in a road rage incident in May 2024. The same suspect in Hoover's murder is charged in the road rage murder.
What to expect with gas prices this fall after a recent hike
Over the last few weeks, we've been seeing some of the highest gas prices of the year.
Part of the reason for the increase — a refinery outage, on top of an increase in demand for summer travel.
Here is the good news: an expert talked to our Ali Hoxie and said prices peaked on July 25, and that from here on out, prices should be going down. However, there are some factors that could push prices up.
“When we are dealing with wars and gas prices it seems that there is some type of correlation," said Metro Detroiter Lindsey Mason III.
Hurricane season also plays a factor, especially if bad weather hits like it did in Joliet, Illinois, when a tornado and severe storms swept through the region, leading to a shutdown of an Exxon mobile refinery that helps supply four Midwest states, including Michigan.
“Now with that refinery finally restarting here about three weeks after the power outage, we are likely to start to see a little bit more downward pressure," said Patrick De Haan, the Head of Petroleum Analysis at Gas Buddy.
Off-duty Rochester police officer and son rescue kayakers along Clinton River
What started as a normal day of biking along the Clinton River turned into a rescue mission for Rochester Police Lieutenant Keith Harper and his son.
They jumped into action when they came across three kayakers who needed help.
“They were up against this tree here in the corner… the pressure of the water had pushed them up into this root that was coming out,” said Lt. Keith Harper.
Harper took 7 News Detroit reporter Tiarra Braddock to the exact spot where he and his son rescued the kayakers earlier this week.
“We could just hear adult males voices yelling and I wasn’t sure at first if it was just people messing around or somebody that was in trouble… so we stopped and asked if they were okay and came down here and found all three of them in the water,” said Harper.
Harper says the kayakers had some cuts and bruises but no major injuries.
Vice President Kamala Harris & Republican VP nominee JD Vance visit metro Detroit
Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, were in metro Detroit this week. Harris and Walz were at Detroit Metro Airport for a rally and then met with UAW members.
"It is so good to be back in Michigan. And listen, I am clear the path to the White House runs right through this state," Harris said during the rally. "So we who believe in the sacred freedom to vote will finally pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act."
Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance was also in Shelby Township on Wednesday, her first solo campaign stop in Michigan.
"We've got to throw Kamala Harris out of office, not give her a promotion, and that's what our law enforcement needs," said the Republican nominee for vice president to a small group of invited guests and the media Wednesday.
'It can change your whole world': Sylvan Lake man battling long COVID four years after contracting virus
America is experiencing a summer surge of COVID, driven by a new variant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, test positivity is up by 10 percent. Emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths are also up. And while COVID is still changing lives with new infections, millions of Americans are still battling older COVID infections, some from the earliest days of the pandemic, including Sylvan Lake's Jeffory Whitmer.
"You know you're sick, you don't look sick, and the doctors can't find anything wrong with you," Jeff said.
For nearly four years, this has been his reality. A battle with long COVID since shortly after the 42-year-old first contracted the virus in late 2020. The original virus cleared but some symptoms remained.
"Racing heart, shortness of breath and general aches and pains, intestinal issues, all sorts of stuff," Jeff said. "(But) all the tests came back normal."
Even now, nearly four years later, Jeff says it’s still a challenge making it through the day due to debilitating fatigue. As an architect, Jeff works from his home, but says he has to lay down to rest. It’s the only way to make it through the day.
"That's my lunch break is I go and take a nap and then I finish out the day," Jeff said. "That's the only way I can finish the day."
"Could you have imagined that four years later, you'd still be battling symptoms of Covid?" I asked him.
"No, not a chance," Jeff replied. "I never thought that was a possibility."
Sadly, Jeff’s story is not unique. Long COVID affects millions of Americans and they, like Jeff, are struggling with symptoms for months and years and searching for answers for just as long.
'Start Your Engines' for the 2024 Woodward Dream Cruise with the welcome party at Duggan's Irish Pub
It's hard to believe, but the Woodward Dream Cruise returns next weekend! This week, we celebrated the kick off event with a welcome party at Duggan's Irish Pub on Woodward.
Reminder: 7 News Detroit is your home for the Woodward Dream Cruise. We'll have coverage all day long on Aug. 17
Ford is the presenting sponsor of the Cruise, which will take over the avenue on August 17. As part of the festivities, the 2024 Woodward Dream Cruise logo features the 60th-anniversary Mustang. The vehicle features a unique dash plaque and exclusive exterior features that Ford says "bring the classic accents of the original car that debuted in 1964 into the modern era."
The cruise will kick off with the Official Woodward Dream Cruise Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 5 p.m. August. 16, at East Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue. It will be immediately followed by the Lights & Sirens Cruise parade at 5:30 pm.m, with the procession going north on Woodward to 11 Mile Road and turning back to Nine Mile Road.
Don't forget to catch WXYZ-TV's Woodward Dream Cruise Special airing on Channel 7 on August 17 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. An encore presentation will air on WXYZ-TV from 10 a.m. until noon that Sunday.
