Second Person Dead After Shooting at Popular Detroit Lions Tailgating Spot

A second person has died on Monday following a shooting at a popular tailgating spot near Ford Field after the Detroit Lions’ football game on Sunday, according to local police.
The incident unfolded around 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Eastern Market, a well-known open-air venue that attracts tailgaters during football season. The clash, which followed the Lions’ narrow 20-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quickly escalated when one individual pulled a gun, firing at least two shots, Detroit Police Chief James White said in a Monday press conference.
Police officers in the area responded to the shooting, arrested the suspected shooter, an Oak Park resident, and recovered two handguns at the scene, White said.
The victims, both Detroit residents, were identified as a man in his 40s and another in his 20s. However, their names have not been released.
As the investigation into the incident continues, the suspect remains in custody.
Lions coach Dan Campbell addressed the incident on Monday, stating that while he doesn’t “know all the details to it, anytime that somebody loses their life, that’s a tragic thing.”
Meanwhile, White gave more details about the incident as he described the confrontation as stemming from a larger altercation that had temporarily dispersed. However, the tension reignited nearby, leading to the fatal gunfire.
“They reconvened a few feet away from where the initial fight started,” the chief said, adding, “The two fighters put up their hands like they were about to fight each other…One of the people in the fight, a male from Oak Park, pulls out a gun and fires at least twice.”
White also pointed towards the dangerous mix of “tailgating, drinking, and guns,” in a statement to reporters on Sunday, a sentiment shared widely across the city following the tragedy.
Newsweek has reached out to Detroit Police Department via email for comment.
Sunday’s incident comes as increased gun violence has been seen across the country with two school shootings within the last two weeks injuring and killing several people.
Since the start of this year, 12,136 people have been killed by firearms with 23,246 injured, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The number of gun violence-related deaths throughout recent years has also prompted calls for Congress to strengthen national gun laws, as gun control remains a tensely divided matter in the United States.
Last week, a shooting at a Nebraska high school left one teen critically injured. Omaha police apprehended the suspect shortly after.
According to Omaha Deputy Chief Sherie Thomas, the police believe the shooting was an isolated incident between two students and the suspect was found three blocks away within 30 minutes of the shooting.
“We believe this was an isolated altercation between two students,” Thomas said during a press briefing. “Thankfully, the suspect was caught quickly, preventing further harm.”
The Nebraska shooting came less than a week after a school shooting in Winder, Georgia, that left four dead and injured at least nine more.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) identified the suspect in the shooting as 14-year-old student Colt Gray.
The agency confirmed four casualties, including two students and two teachers, and nine hospitalized after the mass shooting earlier this month. Gray is in custody, and he will be charged with murder and tried as an adult according to the GBI.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.