Detroit police chief after Sunday shootings: 'Tailgating, drinking and guns, they don't mix'

Detroit police confirmed two people were shot, one killed and another in critical condition, following a fight in Eastern Market near Ford Field on Sunday evening.

Detroit Police Chief James White said officers arrested a man from the Oakland County suburb of Oak Park who is in his 30s and is licensed to carry a gun.

Eastern Market is a popular tailgate destination for Detroit Lions fans. Hundreds flock to the market during game days. On Sunday, the Lions hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. local time.

“Tailgating, drinking and guns. They don’t mix,” White said.

White said a fight between two men escalated about 4:30 p.m. at one of the buildings known as Shed 6 at the outdoor market. They put up hands in preparation to fight when the suspect pulled out a gun and fired at least two rounds, White said.

The man the suspect was fighting — a Detroit man in his 40s — was killed. Another Detroiter, a man in his 20s, was shot and hospitalized in critical condition.Nearby officers directing outbound traffic from the Lions game responded to the shooting, arrested the suspect, and recovered two guns, White said.

On the scene, White was troubled by what he described as a lack of conflict resolution. “It shouldn’t have led to this,” he said.

“You’ve got unfortunately two people shot, one dead. And you have a suspect that’s in custody, that’s, you know, going to be dealing with some very serious charges … likely murder.”

White went on to describe “a gun obsessed society.”

“We bring them out for every minor conflict,” he said. “It’s ridiculous. If you’re going to fight, have a fight. Live to fight another day. But everyone has to have a gun, makes them feel tough.”

Witness says shooting was nothing like she’s ever seen

Cream Powers, 48, and Rhonda Taylor, 50, heard the gunfire. The two run a barbecue stand at the corner of Riopelle and Alfred, a half-block from where the shooting occurred.

“We heard the sound,” Taylor told the Free Press , which is part of the USA TODAY Network.

Then they saw people run.

“I was serving a customer, cutting some meat up, and all of the sudden, all I know is everybody started rushing down here,” Powers said. “Women started running, dogs running under our table. It was really crazy out here, man.”

Prior to the shooting, Powers said it was a typical tailgating scene in Eastern Market, which on typical weekends is packed with people from all over seeking fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers and social time. But Taylor said what she witnessed on Sunday was nothing like she’s ever seen in the 10 years she’s been coming there on game days.

“It was actually beautiful until that happened,” Powers said of the tailgate.

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at asahouri@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit police chief after Sunday shootings: 'Tailgating, drinking and guns, they don't mix'