PONTIAC, Mich. – A man used a potato to try to hide the murder of two people over a dice game in Oakland County, police said.
What happened
The shooting happened at 8:22 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, at an apartment in the 100 block of North Sanford Street, near Fiddis Avenue, in Pontiac.
Police said a 32-year-old Detroit man got angry that he lost $80 in a dice game, so he fired shots at two other men.
Witnesses called 911 when they heard gunshots. Deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office arrived and found two men with multiple gunshot injuries.
The shooter left the apartment in an Uber on South Boulevard, police said. Before officials could track down that Uber, the man ran away near South Boulevard and Woodward Avenue.
Officers found two semi-automatic handguns during their investigation.
2 men pronounced dead
A 20-year-old man from Highland Park was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 24-year-old man from Pontiac was taken to a nearby hospital. Officials said he died from his injuries.
Man arrested
Detectives searched for the suspected shooter at several locations and saw him at 8:19 p.m. Tuesday walking on the sidewalk along 8 Mile Road, near Evergreen Road in Southfield, they said.
The man was carrying two grocery bags and a case of beer when officers took him into custody.
Police from Detroit, Southfield, and the ATF were involved in the case.
Potato doesn’t silence gunshots
Police believe the 32-year-old man tried to use a potato to silence the gunshots. They made that determination based on evidence at the scene, they said.
Witnesses told officials that they heard the gunshots anyway.
What’s next?
The suspected shooter is being held at the Oakland County Jail.
The case is expected to be turned over to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office later Wednesday or Thursday.
“I am super proud of our substation, all our detectives, and our partners for the effort that brought this cold-blooded killer into custody within 12 hours,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “I have been in this a long time, but it is still shocking to see the lack of value some people place on a human life. I look forward to him being brought to the bar of justice and held accountable.”