DETROIT (WWJ) Detroit Police are searching for a man accused of shooting and killing a panhandler at a gas station on the city’s west side.
Police said a video showed the suspect having a brief conversation with the victim last Sunday (10/3) around 7:30 a.m. on Dexter near Davison. The suspect walked away, returned, and pulled out a gun—wounding the victim with a single shot.
Commander Michael McGinnis spoke to WWJ, saying the victim--who was in his fifties--had asked the suspect for money.
"That interaction did not appear to be hostile in anyway. It looks like the suspect gave our victim some change and walked off. Within seconds, the suspect started walking around in circles and just came back up to the victim and fired one shot, striking the victim in the head."
The suspect then ran away, heading northwest.
When police and medics arrived, they pronounced the victim dead.
"In this case, it seemed like a random execution for no reason," McGinnis said.
The suspect is described as 5’9” last seen wearing a puffer jacket with a hoodie, black pants and black shoes. At the time, he was carrying a black and brown Adidas backpack with a neon yellow zipper.
Police urge the community to use “extreme caution” if they see the suspect.
If anyone has information on the crime or know who the suspect is/his whereabouts, please call the Detroit Department’s Homicide Unit at (313) 596-2555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SpeakUp.
