SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Police in Southfield are emphasizing the dangers of unreported domestic violence after a deadly Christmas Day shooting.
It happened at the Riverstone Apartments on Shiawassee Road, near Eight Mile Road, at about 9:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 25.
Police said a 20-year-old man from Madison Heights and a 30-year-old man from Detroit would later die after being taken to hospitals.
Investigators said an earlier domestic assault that day went unreported, occurring hours before the shooting turned fatal.
Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said the victim was afraid to call police after the assault and did not want the man arrested because he had a 3-year-old son.
She reportedly told police later she was slapped, strangled and kicked multiple times, leaving visible bruises on her neck, arms and legs.
The assault was not reported to police, and the man left the scene.
Later, the woman allegedly invited a friend and her boyfriend over. The man returned, forced his way into the apartment, and grabbed an AR-15 assault rifle that was in the home.
Police said the friend’s boyfriend had a handgun, and both men shot each other.
After being shot, Barren said the man shot at the woman three times, hitting her once in the hand.
Both men died of their injuries in the hospital.
The man’s 3-year-old son was in the home at the time of the shooting but was unharmed.
Police are investigating the source of the AR-15, which was not registered to the suspect, and whether it was obtained through a “straw purchase” to bypass background checks.