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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

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

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Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94



A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported. 

Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.  

The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.  

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In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction. 

None of the gunshots struck the vehicle. 

Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident. 

The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office. 

In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.

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The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.



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Detroit, MI

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

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Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday


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Who is favored in the NBA playoffs odds for Game 1 between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic?

Here’s what you need to know about NBA playoff betting odds for the NBA game between the No. 8 seed Magic and No. 1 seed Pistons, which is being played on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

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What is the point spread for the Pistons vs Magic game?

What is the moneyline for the Magic vs Pistons game?

What is the over/under (point total) for betting on the first-round NBA playoff matchup?

NBA playoffs odds: Knicks vs Hawks | Cavaliers vs Raptors | Nuggets vs Timberwolves | Lakers vs Rockets | Spurs vs Trail Blazers | Celtics vs 76ers | NBA championship odds | Game odds

Watch Magic at Pistons on Peacock

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Magic vs Pistons odds: What is point spread?

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Detroit Pistons are an 8.5-point favorite over the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs series.

NBA playoffs Game 1 predictions, picks: Knicks vs Hawks | Cavaliers vs Raptors | Nuggets vs Timberwolves | Lakers vs Rockets | Spurs vs Trail Blazers | Celtics vs 76ers | The Republic’s score projections

Pistons vs Magic odds: What is moneyline?

BetMGM Sportsbook lists Detroit as -375 on the moneyline for the first-round NBA playoff game. It has Orlando at +290.

NBA playoffs series schedules, TV channels: Knicks vs Hawks | Cavaliers vs Raptors | Nuggets vs Timberwolves | Lakers vs Rockets | Spurs vs Trail Blazers | Celtics vs 76ers | Daily schedule | First-round matchups

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Magic vs Pistons odds: What is over/under?

The point total for the opening game of the NBA playoffs series between the Pistons and Magic is listed at 218.5 points, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

NBA playoffs series picks, predictions: Knicks vs Hawks | Cavaliers vs Raptors | Nuggets vs Timberwolves | Lakers vs Rockets | Spurs vs Trail Blazers | Celtics vs 76ers | The Republic’s predictions | NBA playoff bracket

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Tigers call up prospect Hao-Yu Lee, place Zach McKinstry on IL

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Detroit Tigers call up prospect Hao-Yu Lee, place Zach McKinstry on IL


Boston — Not a bad place for big-league debut.

The Tigers on Friday placed Zach McKinstry on the 10-day injured list and called up infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee from Triple-A Toledo. He was in the lineup against the Red Sox, batting eighth at Fenway Park.

“We’re excited for Lee to get his feet wet in the big leagues,” manager AJ Hinch said. “He’s a good player. We’ve had him in big league camp the last two years. He hits the ball hard and can play good defense. Now he’s getting his first look at one of the cathedrals in our sport for his debut.”

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Part of the decision to call up Lee, and not Jace Jung or Trei Cruz, Hinch said, was where the Tigers are in the schedule. Including Friday against Ranger Suarez, the Tigers will be facing six lefties in the next 12 games.

The right-handed hitting Lee slugged .558 with a .969 OPS against lefties last season.

Coming off an oblique injury this spring, which kept him from playing for Chinese Taipei in the WBC, he’s off to a slow start at Toledo (4 for 26).

“He’s been swinging it better than his numbers indicate,” Hinch said. “Results are so finicky this time of year. He’s coming off a good day (Wednesday). He hit a home run. So it’s good timing for that. He’s been hitting it hard and making good decisions on what to swing at.

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“And that is key in transitioning from Triple-A to the big leagues.”

McKinstry exited Wednesday night’s game against the Royals ahead of the eighth inning of the Tigers’ 2-1 victory. He fell hard on the hip twice. Once on a head-first slide at the plate and the other after he was tripped up by Royals’ Jac Caglianone.

“He’s pretty beat up,” Hinch said. “We didn’t want to play short-handed but we’re also hoping to get him back quickly.”

McKinstry stayed back in Detroit and is expected to undergo further evaluations.

“He was doing better today than he was yesterday,” Hinch said. “But he clearly needed a break to heal up.”

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Lee, 23, was not made available to the media until after the game. He is No. 6 among the Tigers’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, and was acquired by the Tigers in an August 2023 trade that sent starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Around the horn

Justin Verlander (hip inflammation) did not make the trip to Boston. “We have to respect the soreness and inflammation that he’s dealing with,” Hinch said. “He’s working out and he’s doing everything. It’s just going a little bit slower. We’re going to respect it and give him the time he needs.”

… Lefty reliever Bailey Horn (elbow), who has had his throwing program paused, received a cortisone shot Thursday.

Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com

@cmccosky

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