Ferndale

Ferndale police looking for 7-Eleven shooters

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

Police are continuing to look for two men who they say fired gunshots at a pair of bystanders following a botched robbery attempt in Ferndale.

According to Detective Lt. Bill Wilson, the incident occurred at about 2:40 a.m. on July 8 at the 7-Eleven store located at 1040 W. Nine Mile Road, at the northeast corner of Nine Mile and Pinecrest Drive. Electrical services had just been restored to the building after the severe storm that struck the area on July 4 knocked out its power and forced it to close down for a few days.

7-Eleven employees were preparing to reopen the store when a clerk noticed two men approaching the front door, Wilson said. Both of the men had their faces covered with disguises, and one of them pulled on the handle of the locked door. Fearing that they were going to rob the store, the clerk immediately called 911. The suspects then quickly disappeared out of her sight by walking around the corner of the building.

“My guess is that these guys had intended to rob the place but just didn’t do enough planning beforehand,” Wilson said. “They were basically running into an empty hole. They thought there was going to be an easy target waiting there for them but then became upset when there wasn’t.”

Two other men — Ferndale residents, ages 24 and 27, who Wilson said are regular customers of the store — then walked up to the building near where the suspects were standing. The suspects confronted the men and grabbed one of them, but he was able to break loose from their grasp. Both victims then ran away as one of the suspects pulled out a semi-automatic rifle and fired several shots at them. Neither victim was struck by the gunfire, however.

“Those two guys were just walking by and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Wilson explained. “It appears that (the suspects) were going to try to rob them instead of robbing the store, but (the victims) wisely didn’t stick around long enough to find out.”

The suspects then fled the area northbound on foot. Ferndale officers arrived on the scene shortly thereafter but were unable to locate the suspects. Wilson described them only as black males but declined to provide further description of the disguises they were wearing on the night of the crime.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Ferndale police at (248) 541-3650 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at (800) SPEAK-UP. “We’re really looking for tips from the public to help us out with this one,” Wilson said.

The July 8 incident was far from the first time that this 7-Eleven location has been the site of criminal activity in recent years:

• In July 2011, a man carrying a handgun entered the store and struck the clerk in the head with his gun, then threatened a customer at gunpoint and stole her purse before fleeing the scene. Ferndale police were unable to track him down, however.

• In February 2011, a pair of customers were acting unruly when they began yelling threats at the clerk and then attacked him two separate times. The clerk was able to fight them off while a third customer called 911, and Ferndale police soon arrived at the store and arrested the suspects.

• In August 2008, two men came into the store and pointed a handgun at the clerk, then grabbed a metal rod away from her, beat her with it, stole lottery tickets and fled in their car. Ferndale police later caught the suspects after a high-speed chase through Detroit neighborhoods.

Wilson confirmed that there has been a longtime pattern of crime at the store, especially late at night. “That place is one of our most regularly hit establishments, mostly because of its location,” he said. “It’s easy in and easy out over there. There’s really quick, easy access to a lot of major roads and freeways, which unfortunately makes it a convenient target for criminals.”
 

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.