Police Make Additional Arrests In 'Retaliation' Shooting Death Of 2-Year-Old Inkster Girl
INKSTER (WWJ) - Two suspects are waking up in jail Friday morning, awaiting charges in connection with a triple shooting in Inkster that left a 2-year-old girl dead in what police say was a case of retaliation.
Michigan State Police say the suspects, who were not identified, were both taken into custody on Thursday. Their involvement with Tuesday's fatal shooting was not immediately clear.
The arrests came on the same day 24-year-old Raymone Jackson was arraigned on first degree murder, torture and assault charges in the case.
Police say Jackson gunned down 2-year-old Kamiya French as she sat on a porch at the Parkside Estates public housing complex, on Carlyle Street near Middlebelt Road, with her 30-year-old father and 13-year-old cousin.
A man who was visiting his daughter at the complex told WWJ's Mike Campbell he witnessed the shooting. The man, who did not want to be identified, said he went out to his car for a cigarette when he noticed a white van drive by with three people inside.
The witness said he watched as a man got out of the van, walked across the grass and approached the porch. He said it appeared the gunman targeted the toddler before turning the gun on the other child and the man.
"He shot the little baby point-blank and then he started shooting. I said 'He's killing everybody,' and I just laid down under the car, and he just casually walked away, got in the van and drove off," he said. "Point-blank he shot the baby and now she's dead, for no reason."
Kamiya died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head. Both Kamiya's father and her cousin received gunshot wounds, but are expected to survive. Jackson was arrested less than 24 hours later.
Lt. Michael Shaw said the shooting was apparently fueled by vengeance.
"The child was the intended target and that's what the torture charge was for," Shaw said. "[Jackson's] thought process was that he was going to kill the child in front of this guy and then kill him afterwards and so that would be the last thing he sees."
State police have executed ten search warrants and seized three handguns so far in the case, which remains under investigation.
"The neighborhood has been very, very helpful to our investigation and I think this is a turning point for the people of the city of Inkster to say 'We've had enough of this stuff. This has to come to an end,' and I think this child's memory should be used for that," Shaw said. "There's no such thing as street justice, street code, street anything. It's all stupidity."
Police are still asking anyone who has information on the case to contact the MSP tip line at 877-616-4677 or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 SPEAK-UP.
NOTE: The toddler has been identified by police as Kamiya Gross, but the girl's mother identified her as Kamiya French.
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