DETROIT – Two men have been arrested in a shooting that killed a 3-year-old girl and wounded her parents and 17-year-old sister, Detroit police said Friday.
Authorities said the shooting stemmed from a dispute on social media and erupted during a fight Thursday afternoon outside the family's east side home.
Amiracle Williams died at a local hospital. She was shot at least once in the chest, police spokesman Sgt. Michael Woody told the Detroit Free Press.
Woody told The Detroit News that the incident began when a group of about five or six girls got out of a van at the family's home and started assaulting the 17-year-old daughter.
"While they were beating her up, the girl's mom and dad ran outside the house, followed by the 3-year-old," Woody said. "Then, three men got out of the van."
At some point during the fight, the father fired his weapon, hitting a 22-year-old man, Woody said. Then a 23-year-old man opened fire on the family.
"Once again, another coward who goes and engages in senseless violence," Police Chief James Craig told reporters.
The 23-year-old man and the suspected driver of the vehicle they fled in were arrested early Friday, the Detroit News reported. They were not immediately identified. A gun also was recovered.
Police say the investigation is ongoing, and no charges have yet been filed. Two other people taken into custody on Thursday were questioned and released.
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