DETROIT – Detroit police Chief Todd Bettison said he was confident in the arrests tied to the Skinner Park shootings that left several victims injured, including a 4-year-old boy.
Bettison talked to the media on July 2, 2025, ahead of the “Walk a mile Wednesday” community event.
“I’m confident that we have the right individuals. Highly, highly confident,” said Bettison. “Originally, we had two persons detained on the same day, and we were able to quickly identify that they had nothing to do with it and that they were uninvolved. We released them A.S.A.P.”
Bettison credited community tips and relentless police work for the swift progress in the case.
Update: Community tips lead to arrests in Skinner Park shooting, Detroit police chief says
“Based off of the information that we received from the community, community tips — and I want to thank the community for coming forward and giving us information — my officers, my homicide detectives, they have done a phenomenal job," Bettison said. “Based off community tips, technology, and just good police work, we were able to quickly apprehend the right persons to bring them to justice.”
Two suspects were arrested following search warrants at multiple locations, and Bettison emphasized that the investigation is ongoing, with the Wayne County prosecutor handling charging decisions.
Regarding the motive, Bettison described it as a typical dispute involving disrespect or an altercation that escalated to violence.
“It’s the typical thing, a matter of disrespect or altercation, somebody being ashamed and resorting to violence,” Bettison said. “We see too much of that; when teenagers have guns, it just leads to things of this nature.”
Bettison also highlighted the importance of community violence intervention programs in helping young people and adults resolve conflicts peacefully.
When asked if the victims were the intended targets, Bettison said, “I absolutely believe so, yes.”
Details about why the victims were at the park and other specifics will be released later.
Bettison confirmed that the arrests took place near Ohio Street, where police presence was visible.
Expressing the emotional toll of the case, Bettison said, “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since that incident happened. I’ve been calling my detectives every other hour, seeing where we are. They haven’t slept either. They’ve done a phenomenal job bringing some closure to the family. But we still can’t bring the little 4-year-old back.”
Bettison thanked federal and state partners, including the ATF, FBI, and Michigan State Police, for their collaboration, as well as the community for its prayers and support.
“We really have to do things to get our young people activities during the summer months,” Bettison said. “Along with community violence intervention groups, pastors, and philanthropic folks, we want to ensure young folks have something to do and that they have hope. When you do that, you can resolve conflict.”
Bettison also addressed recent shootings involving children and teens, noting there have been six shootings involving people 19 and under in the past week alone.
“The common denominator is these teens shouldn’t have guns,” Bettison said. “When it comes to parental responsibility, check your teens, ensure they don’t have access to firearms, because when they do, things like this happen.”
Bettison called on parents and community members to step up as mentors and be present in the lives of young people.
“You’re going to see a whole lot more of this police chief this summer,” Bettison said. “I’ll be riding buses, walking neighborhoods, being boots on the ground. We’re going to make a difference by being present.”