English: Montage of Detroit images on Commons. Français : Montage d’images sur le Détroit communes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On Tuesday morning, March 25, two young men trying to break into a home on Detroit’s west side aroused the homeowner who went outside to see what was going on. The confrontation led to a fight which led to the homeowner drawing his sidearm in self-defense and shooting them. Both attackers died at the scene. This brings to 10 the number of fatal self-defense shootings so far this year. This is ahead of the 25 justifiable homicides recorded in Detroit in all of 2012, the latest year for which data are available.
At the same time violent crime in Detroit continues to decline, just as the new police chief, James Craig said it already had back in January. Following the shooting, Craig said at a press conference:
It does appear that more and more Detroiters are becoming empowered. More and more Detroiters are getting sick of the violence. I know of no other place where I’ve see this number of justifiable homicides.
People who are faced with a dangerous situation are taking matters into their own hands. We’re not advocating violence; we’re advocates of not being victims. We’re advocates of self-protection. We want people to be safe.
This should be a message to those who continue to perpetuate violence on Detroiters that enough is enough … Detroiters are fed up and they are taking action.
A 35-year veteran law enforcement officer, Craig started his career in Detroit as a beat cop, moved to Los Angeles, then to Portland, Maine, on to Cincinnati, and then back to Detroit as chief of police. Upon taking office last June he announced his intention to do something about Detroit’s spiraling crime rate:
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