DETROIT – Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison on Monday held up photos of 4-year-old Samir Grubbs and 6-year-old Rylee Love — both shot and killed in the city this summer — as he stressed his commitment to tackling both teen and gun violence.
“This is how seriously I take it,” Bettison said. “They need to know that we’re not going to tolerate it, and I will bring the heaviest prosecution from the U.S. attorney on a federal level, state, however, I can get you.”
Samir was killed while playing outside, and Rylee was shot while eating McDonald’s inside his home. Two teens have been charged in Samir’s death and another teen’s death — 18-year-old Davlyon Shalmonson-Bey, who tried to protect others, but Rylee’s killers remain at large.
“I want you to follow these cases and I want to be able to show the who — who is actually doing this,” Bettison said.
The chief also announced arrests in a separate case. Two arrests were made after the body of 15-year-old Lawrence Dowl was found at a cemetery. Three alleged gang members have also been charged in connection with a weekend shooting into an occupied home. Thankfully, no one was injured in that case.
“Everybody wants to know: who would do something like that? Three individuals locked up — that’s who would do something like that. And I can’t wait until you all see their pictures after they’re charged,” Bettison said.
Referencing Detroit’s “One Detroit” initiative, launched more than two years ago, Bettison said police are intensifying their crackdown on youth and gun violence, working not only with community groups but also with federal law enforcement and prosecutors.
“FBI. ATF. DEA. All of it. If I can’t get you for the case itself, we’ll charge you for the bullets and the guns,” Bettison said.
He pointed to eight recently unsealed federal felony firearm cases and said there has been a 400% increase in dedicated federal prosecutors handling such crimes.
Former U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider praised the coordination between Detroit police and federal prosecutors.
“We are extremely fortunate in the Detroit area to have a great relationship with the U.S. attorney, and that’s not the same in other parts of the country,” Schneider said. “And what you’re seeing now is an extension of that.”
Schneider stressed that offenders who may receive probation in state court can face far tougher penalties if prosecuted federally. That could mean a particular neighborhood or community could feel relief for much longer if a known violent offender is charged federally, he said.
“If you committed a violent offense and you used a gun to do that or you’re dealing drugs, it’s very possible you could be charged federally,” Schneider said. “And if you put that person into federal prosecution, they could get several years… It’s a much stiffer sentence.”