A tragic incident unfolded at a baby shower in Michigan over the weekend, resulting in the fatal shooting of a grandmother and her longtime friend being taken into police custody.
According to reports from various news outlets, an argument erupted during the baby shower at a Detroit home, leading to a woman in her 40s shooting another woman in her 50s. The victim, identified as Phebe Williams by her family in a GoFundMe campaign, was caught in the crossfire.
Relatives shared with local ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV that the suspect, a longtime friend of Williams who had not been invited to the baby shower but attended regardless, engaged in a heated argument concerning one of Williams’ sons, who was also present at the event, celebrating the baby shower for his niece.
The suspect, as yet unidentified by the police, accused Williams’ son of a crime and had reportedly visited the local police station a few days prior.
During the argument, Williams’ niece, Shavonda Carter, claimed that her friend had struck the victim before resorting to gunfire.
She expressed her dismay, stating:
“Y’all could have just fought. You didn’t have to pull a gun. There’s kids in the house. It’s a lot of people in the house, so why would you pull out a gun?”
According to Detroit Police Captain Donna McCord, the situation escalated after the shooting as “the female fled to our Detroit police 9th Precinct, and the victim’s son followed her to that location and struck her with his vehicle.”
The suspect is currently receiving medical treatment at a local hospital and is in temporary serious condition, as reported by CBS News.
While both the suspect and the victim’s son are in police custody, no charges have been announced at this time. A GoFundMe campaign was initiated by the victim’s family to help cover funeral expenses.
Phebe Williams is survived by two sons and three grandchildren, and her memory is cherished for her caring and kind-hearted nature, as noted in the fundraiser.
