One man is dead after an argument at a late-night NFL tailgate party in Detroit. The party occurred the afternoon of September 15 and by 4:30 p.m. police had one man under arrest and two victims. One unidentified man was killed as a result of his wounds, police said the man was a Detroit local and in his forties.
Another unidentified man in his 20s was injured and listed as critical, he died the following day.
The fiasco occurred during a tailgate party in Eastern Market, the neighborhood nearby to Lions’ Ford Field stadium after an argument broke out during the party. The men stepped outside and were about to engage in fisticuffs when one of them pulled out his concealed firearm and shot the other man.
Police said the unidentified shooter was in his 30s and had a license to carry a concealed weapon.
Police explained that a fight had broken out amongst multiple parties which ended minutes later. The parties involved then decided to continue and two of the men raised their fists as if they were going to fight. One of the men, an unidentified resident of Oak Park, then pulled out a firearm and fired multiple shots and he hit two people.
Police refused to say if the men knew each other previously, and their investigations are ongoing. They told the corporate press that the men were likely attending the party after the Lions lost to the Buccaneers, 20-16 earlier in the day. Officers were thankfully in the area and were able to respond rapidly.
Detroit Police Chief James White told the press that guns, drinking, and partying “don’t mix.” He added that hand-to-hand fights are a fair way to resolve a conflict, but involving weapons is foolish and unnecessary. He highlighted that the use of a weapon in this incident resulted in the death of one man, severe injuries to another, and probably a lengthy prison sentence for the shooter. White’s press conference occurred before the death of the second man.
