DETROIT – Detroit police Chief Todd Bettison gave an update on the fatal stabbing of a man in his 20s by a teenage girl on the city’s east side, and he talked about the Dearborn protest and how police responded during his Walk-A-Mile Wednesday event.
Bettison said that a fatal stabbing on the city’s east side stemmed from a domestic dispute and that a 17-year-old girl is in custody.
Bettison said during his Walk-A-Mile Wednesday, the girl was arguing with her boyfriend when the confrontation escalated.
“It was domestic in nature,” Bettison said. “I have a 17-year-old woman who got into an argument with her boyfriend and couldn’t regulate.”
The boyfriend, a man in his 20s, died in the stabbing, Bettison said.
The teenage suspect is in custody and does not pose a danger to the community, the chief said.
Bettison said police continue to work on addressing intimate partner violence by connecting people with counseling and other resources.
The fatal stabbing occurred on Wednesday (Aug. 19) around 9:30 a.m. at a home on Marx Street.
Bettison was attending a Detroit Police Department community event that drew hundreds of people, including local elected officials and law enforcement leaders.
He said the gathering reflected his department’s focus on building relationships between police and residents.
He also emphasized cooperation among law enforcement agencies throughout the region.
“When we talk about One Detroit, it really is One Detroit,” Bettison said, noting that people who live in surrounding communities have family, friends, and connections in Detroit.
Bettison said crime in Detroit is declining and credited police, residents, elected officials and the Board of Police Commissioners for working together.
“Police cannot do it alone,” Bettison said. “Community helps. It’s everybody.”
Bettison also addressed the police response to a protest in Dearborn on Tuesday.
He said Detroit police monitored the situation closely and provided resources to Dearborn police under existing mutual-aid agreements.
“I won’t say what that was, but if Chief (Issa) Shahin needs any assistance, DPD is there to assist,” Bettison said. “And if DPD needs assistance, Chief Shahin is there to assist us as well.”
Bettison said the regional cooperation is part of what he described as a broader “One Detroit” approach to public safety.
Watch the full presser below: