Gun violence has claimed yet another life but this time, at a baby shower. Though, the mother-to-be wasn’t injured, another guest in attendance was fatally shot in the midst of the celebration.
Police say the victim’s longtime friend is the one in handcuffs.
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According to the authorities, 53-year-old Phebe Williams was shot dead at the shower held on the east side of Detroit. The victim’s family told WXYZ that her childhood friend, who wasn’t invited, appeared at the function and got into an argument with Williams. They said the woman was complaining about one of Williams’ sons who was previously reported to the police for a crime he allegedly committed. However, the verbal confrontation turned physical, the report says.
Williams’ family recalled her hitting the woman and possibly spitting at her. Suddenly, the woman pulled a gun and fired it at Williams. But that wasn’t the end of it.
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The woman left the location and called Detroit Police to say what she had done as she headed to DPD’s 9th precinct on Gratiot Avenue, just a few miles away from the house where the baby shower and shooting took place.
What the woman may not have been aware of is that Phebe Williams’ son apparently followed her because he was also there in the parking lot of the police station and when the woman exited her vehicle, he struck her with his car.
Williams’ son was taken into custody and the 46-year-old woman was also taken into custody and hospitalized for her injuries.
The family of the shooting suspect told reporters she was acting in self-defense yet Williams’ family argued that the situation didn’t call for such serious measures.
“Y’all could have just fought. You didn’t have to pull a gun. There’s kids in the house. It’s a lot of people in the house so why would you pull out a gun?” said Williams’ niece, Shavonda Carter via WXYZ.
In June, the Detroit Police chief reported 110 homicides and 323 non-fatal shootings this year, citing many of the settings to be cookouts and family gatherings, Bridge Detroit reports. Detroit Police Capt. Donna McCord echoed Carter’s comment, calling for an end to gun violence but insisting that citizens should contact the police instead of taking things into their own hands.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that some Black people will feel any safer doing that. Who’s to say the presence of an officer wouldn’t heighten the chance of a fatality?
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