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Detroit, MI

Victims of largest mass shooting in Michigan history said they couldn’t see shooter

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Victims of largest mass shooting in Michigan history said they couldn’t see shooter


Detroit — None of the eight victims who testified Tuesday about being injured in the largest mass shooting in Michigan history said they saw who shot them, instead describing a chaotic scene with too many gunshots to count.

Diamond Cheatham said “it was so many I can’t remember,” noting it was at least more than 20 shots. She did not know where the shots came from. Chelsea Jackson said she heard “probably about over 100 shots.”

The victims testified Tuesday during the preliminary examination for Demetrus Shaw, the only person charged so far in what prosecutors characterized as an ongoing investigation into a mass shooting at a July 7 block party in Detroit that left two people dead and 19 injured. Detroit police have said they believe the shooting stemmed from a gang dispute.

Shaw, 19, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, 19 counts of assault with intent to murder and 21 counts of felony firearm. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

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The homicide victims were Shanae Fletcher, 20, of Harrison Township and Phillip Arnold, 21, of Detroit. Among the non-fatal shooting victims were a 16-year-old girl, two 17-year-old girls, a 17-year-old boy, a 19-year-old woman, two 20-year-old women and two 22-year-old men, all of Detroit; a 17-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, both of Clinton Township; two 18-year-old women from Eastpointe; a 20-year-old Oak Park woman; a 21-year-old woman, a 21-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman from Highland Park; a 21-year-old woman from Southfield; and a 21-year-old woman from Chesterfield Township.

Shaw’s attorney, Mohammed Naser, asked each of the victims if they were treated for their injuries before or after they spoke to police. He declined to comment after the preliminary examination ended Tuesday, noting it was still ongoing. It will continue Wednesday with three remaining witnesses.

Police arrived just after 2:30 a.m. July 7 at Rossini Drive near Gratiot Avenue for a report of a shooting. Some of the victims had already left the scene before police arrived, being driven to the hospital by friends or other party-goers. Others, like Fletcher, were left behind.

Detroit Police Officer Daniel Havern said Fletcher was not breathing and had no pulse when he arrived. She was bleeding from the head.

Jawan Mitchell said he was shot in the leg next to his cousin, Arnold. He had only been at the party for a few minutes before the shooting began.

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“I was laying on my stomach, and by the time I turned to my back, he was talking to me and his last words were ‘cuz I love you.’ And that’s it,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell, like the other victims who testified Tuesday, said he did not see who shot him. But he could tell the shots came from the direction of the driveway across from him.

Mitchell was the only one of the victims who testified Tuesday who said he had a gun, but he did not fire it because he couldn’t see the shooter. He said he saw someone run and hop a fence after the shooting stopped.

Starkesha Charleston was grazed in the head, and her older sister Starlitha Charleston was shot in the arm and back. Starkesha said her friend, who did not testify Tuesday, also was shot. The three of them had been there for only a few minutes before the shots started.

“I was running,” Starkesha Charleston said of the moments after the first shot came. “Most of us were shot so we couldn’t do anything but run.”

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Chelsea Jackson, who had been shot in the thigh, said she fell to the ground and had to crawl behind a bush to hide as the shots continued. Someone carried her into a nearby house and she stayed there until an ambulance took her to the hospital.

Darah Orr and Mariah Ruffin said they didn’t see anyone shooting, but Orr said “clearly there was more than one shooter.” Neither prosecutors nor Naser asked the women why they believed there was more than one shooter.

Ruffin was shot in the leg, and Orr was shot in the right forearm.

“I was running to get in front of another car,” Orr said. “The area I was in was too open so I was trying to take cover.”

Ruffin said she crawled behind a bush after she heard the shots start. She hadn’t realized at first that she had been hit, until she went to scratch her leg and her hand came back bloody.

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“I ran,” Ruffin said of when she heard the shots. “Everyone was running every which way.”

Shaw is also charged with the May 31 nonfatal shooting of a 37-year-old Detroit man on Collington Drive in Detroit.

The shooting on Rossini Avenue was one of several violent incidents at Detroit block parties during the Fourth of July weekend. Following the incident, Detroit police officials required officers to participate in the department’s Mobile Field Force, the unit that handles block parties and large gatherings.

Prior to the shooting, officers volunteered for the detail, although the department was shorthanded during the holiday weekend because officials said there weren’t enough officers staffing the unit.

kberg@detroitnews.com

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Detroit, MI

Patchy dense fog turns to stronger thunderstorms for Metro Detroit to start the weekend

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Patchy dense fog turns to stronger thunderstorms for Metro Detroit to start the weekend


4Warn WeatherSATURDAY: Mostly cloudy skies. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. A few storms could be strong with gusty winds and hail. High: 71.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy skies, becoming partly cloudy skies late. Low: 45.

SUNDAY (MOTHER’S DAY): Mix of sunshine and clouds, cooler temperatures. High: 61.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Another chilly night. Low: 41.

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MONDAY: Mostly sunny skies, remaining chilly. High: 58.


After a beautiful end to the week on Friday with sunshine and a little cloud cover, with warmer temperatures moving into the region as well, some of us are waking up to some patchy dense fog on Saturday morning. Some places south of M-59 are seeing reduced visibilities down to around a mile. If you do run into some patchy dense fog, be sure to use your low beams.

That warming trend continues into the start of the weekend on Saturday, but it also brings a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Another cold front will work through the region by Saturday afternoon and early Saturday evening and that will bring our thunderstorm chance. High temperature is warming into low 70s by Saturday afternoon.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed most of the region under a Marginal Risk (1 out of 5) on our severe weather scale for the start of the weekend. Gusty winds and hail are the primary threats as we work through the start of the weekend, but this will not be a widespread threat for severe thunderstorms.

Behind that cold front for the end of the weekend on Sunday, we will keep a mixture of sunshine and clouds into the forecast. High temperatures running about 10 to 15° cooler to end the weekend. Expect high to warm into the upper 50s to lower 60s by Sunday afternoon.

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Drier weather sticks around for the start of next week, before another chance of rain moves into the region by the time we get to Tuesday. The cooler-than-average temperatures will continue into the start of next week as well. Expect high temperatures to remain in the 50s for Monday and Tuesday.

Temperature start to warm up by the middle of next week, and Drier weather moves back in by Wednesday behind another cold front moving into the region. Expect high temperatures into the lower 60s on Wednesday to warm into the upper 60s by the time we get to Thursday. Above average temperatures move back into the region as we look ahead into the end of the week, expect high temperatures back into the lower 70s by the time we get to Friday.

Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.



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Detroit, MI

GameThread: Tigers vs. Royals, 7:40 p.m.

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GameThread: Tigers vs. Royals, 7:40 p.m.


MLB: MAY 06 Red Sox at Tigers

DETROIT, MI – MAY 06: Detroit Tigers Dillon Dingler (13) at bat during the game between Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers on May 6, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images



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Detroit, MI

Approval poll: Do you approve of Lions GM Brad Holmes? (post-2026 draft)

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Approval poll: Do you approve of Lions GM Brad Holmes? (post-2026 draft)


It’s been quite some time since we checked in with Detroit Lions fans regarding their opinion of general manager Brad Holmes. The last time we polled our audience was almost exactly a year ago, following the team’s 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, those poll results were lost to time (and a migration to a new content management system at SB Nation).

But as you can see below, Holmes has been an extremely popular figure among Detroit sports fans for pretty much his entire career.

Although, if there was a time when Holmes’ popularity took a hit, it was likely during the 2025 NFL season, when the Lions took their first clear step back since he and Dan Campbell came to town.

Since last year’s data was lost to time, this is a good opportunity to check back in with Lions fans. While Holmes certainly deserves a ton of credit for getting the Lions back to relevancy and helping them produce four consecutive seasons with winning records, there are some serious blemishes on his resumé now. The 2024 NFL Draft class has not lived up to his high standards through two seasons, some of his riskiest picks over the last few years have all failed to pay off, and last year’s roster just wasn’t good enough to withstand the injuries.

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But Holmes is also coming off a very crowd-pleasing draft. Detroit addressed their two biggest needs with their first two selections, and there were no crazy head-scratching picks or expensive trade ups. Many have categorized his latest draft as “back to business as usual,” which could have some fans he lost back on his side.

However, that is all up to you. Vote on your thoughts about Holmes’ time in Detroit below, and share your extended thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.



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