Two gunmen fled in separate vehicles, police say. (WXYZ photo)
Ten men were shot, two fatally, at Rocky’s Barber Shop on Detroit's east side Wednesday evening.
Police originally said there were three fatalities, but changed that to two just before 8 p.m., the Free Press reports.
The scene is at 5218 East 7 Mile Road near Keystone Street. Police Chief James Craig indicates that two men were being sought.
WDIV: The condition of the victims is not known at this time. According to a Local 4 source, the shooter fired a few shots into [the] barber shop, waited for people to come out and then opened fire. . . .
"Suspects engaged a couple of victims. Several shots were fired. It's unknown if some of the victims fired back. Right now the information that we have is that nine people have been shot," said Detroit Police Chief James Craig.
All victims are male, according to the chief, who didn't give ages or names.
Wednesday evening's shooting was near Mound Road.
The small shop had been the site of wagering activity, the chief told reporters.
"We're not sure if this was over a bad debt, we have no idea," he said. "We know it's a barber shop and gambling has occurred in this location. . . . I can't even imagine what would cause this type of violence."
The drama forced local media to scramble at a shorthanded time on the evening after heavy overnight Election Day staffing.
WDIV broke the story with seven paragraphs and a helicopter image within minutes of the shooting around 6 p.m. WXYZ and Fox 2 had later, shorter postings.
The Free Press began tweeting and posted coverage at 6:38 p.m., according to its metro editor.
The Detroit News began trying to catch up just after 7 p.m. later with a six-sentence item and photo of Chief Craig at the scene.
-- Alan Stamm
