Ferndale police investigating shooting death

FERNDALE — A shooting that resulted in the death of a man is under investigation by the Ferndale Police Department.

According to a press release, police were notified at approximately 1:45 a.m. Sunday, March 9, of shots fired in the area of Eight Mile Road and Woodward Avenue.

A few minutes later, at 1:48 a.m., police received a call reporting that an individual was lying on the southbound Woodward Avenue bridge over Eight Mile outside a Ford Escape.

Upon arrival at the scene, police found a 27-year-old Detroit man who had been shot. Ferndale Police Chief Dennis Emmi told the Woodward Talk that another vehicle, which has yet to be identified, likely pulled alongside the Detroit man’s vehicle and fired six rounds into the passenger side of the SUV. The Detroit man had been driving southbound on Woodward.

“One of the rounds passed through the car and struck the victim in it. It was a fatal shot,” Emmi said. “He was alive when the officers responded to the scene, and he was transported to (Corewell Health William) Beaumont (University) Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries within a couple hours.”

Initially, a passerby stopped and called police after he found the Detroit man on the ground and his vehicle against the guardrail, believing that he had been ejected from the SUV after a crash. It only was after police arrived that the incident was discovered to be a shooting.

“This is a tragic event and our thoughts are with the victim’s family as well as loved ones during this difficult time,” Emmi stated in a prepared statement. “We are committed to finding those responsible. We urge anyone with information to come forward and assist in bringing justice to the victim and his family.”

Police are asking anyone with information on the shooting to contact the department’s detective bureau at (248) 541-3650, Ext. 5.

As of March 17, the case was under investigation as detectives were working to identify any suspects and a motive. Police also declined to release the victim’s information because the department still was working to notify his family.