Only In Detroit: Man On The Loose After Shooting Three-Year-Old Girl He Allegedly Called A “Ho”

August 16th, 2012 - By Alissa Henry

Source: WXYZ.com

The gun violence in Detroit has to stop.

Just before a public meeting where Detroit’s police department planned to praise their progress in cutting crime, the Police Chief was called away because a man had just shot a three-year-old after calling her a “ho”.

According to MyFoxDetroit:

Latina Edwards told police that her 3-year-old daughter was hit when a 20-year-old neighbor opened fire on them with a shotgun.

Edwards says it all began when the man, in his 20s, made disrespectful comments to Amyria Parham, 3, and her 9-year-old sister.

“I told him don’t talk to my daughter [any] more because he was calling her and her friend hoes. My daughter is three years old. She [doesn't] know what a hoe is.”

The child’s father got involved in the fight. Latina and Amyria ran towards the family van. Latina said he was high on ecstasy and Xanax.

“As I’m trying to get away in the van, he said give me my [expletive]. They passed him the gun, and he shot the vehicle. He [knew there] wasn’t [anybody] else in that van but me and my daughter.”

Latina, who is also five months pregnant, said they now have no place to go because the suspect’s family vandalized their home after the shooting.

“I just heard they’re trying to burn my house down. They broke in my house, kicked both of my doors in. They busted out all my windows in my house. The sisters poured gasoline all over me and my daughter['s] clothes.”

She said police promised her housing, but didn’t come through.

“They’re trying to put us in the home, the shelter with homeless people and drug users and everything, and that’s not safe for my daughter to go.”

She also said police told her the suspect was in custody, so she was safe to tell them what really happened.

“I felt better when they told me they have this man in custody, but it’s a lie. He’s still out there.”

Latina said she staying with family for now.

We talked to Detroit police after the interview. Sergeant Erin Stephens told us they offered Latina a place to stay in a domestic violence women’s shelter, which is standard. She was very sympathetic to what Latina is going through, but said with Detroit’s budget the just don’t have the money to put people up in hotels.

Stephens also explained that she spoke with all of the officers who are working the case. They told her they never said the suspect was in custody.

At the scene, the chief told The Detroit Free Press (Freep):

“We don’t believe the child was the target of violence. We have identified the shooter and we’re going to work all night to bring him into custody.”

That was Tuesday, yet they still haven’t made an arrest. Did they arrest the person who passed the guy the gun? Did they arrest the people who subsequently broke into the victims’ house and vandalized all of their property? Detroit is saying crime is down, but there still seems to be a lot of unchecked crime going on.

Lt. Nick Giaquinto of the Crime Analysis Unit says that the city’s homicide rate for the second quarter was down 15%, from 106 in 2011 to 90 this year. And the city’s overall rate of violent crime was down about 5% for the quarter, compared with last year, according to Freep.

Of course, if you let the commenters on these stories who live in Detroit tell it, reported crime is down not actual crime. They say that people aren’t reporting crimes as often because nothing is done to catch the criminals and, if the police show up, it’s likely the crime won’t be investigated.

It’s pretty telling when law enforcement gather to pat themselves on the back, only to have to disperse to investigate a toddler being shot by a guy who got away. They know the suspect’s name is Vern and they know where he lives, yet he’s still on the loose.

Little Amyria is reportedly recovering (physically at least).

You can watch the news story below:

Follow Alissa on Twitter @AlissaInPink

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Eric

What’s the name of the perpetrator and his family?
Sick of it

Where is the child’s father?????????????
wow

Wow!!, just Wow.. What would bring a grown man to call a 3 yr old a ho AAAANNND then to shoot her…and on top of that his family got mad and vandalized the woman’s home and threatened her life for taking up for her daughter instead of putting him in check. SMH.
JaneDoe

Jesus take the wheel for real…
IllyPhilly

Pathetic.
DMisses

His family should be in police custody for vandalism, when this is all over she needs to get an attorney and sue the city for not handling this matter the way it should have been. Had this been a blond hair, blue eye child they would’ve done things differently. Ijs.
Kayo

Wow. This is terrible. The woman and her family will need to get out of town if they are to remain alive and safe
jtruth

This is why black women need to keep their legs closed.The mother who is pregnant on probably on welfare living it up in the hood child got shot.
- Kayo
  
  I know that your comment is purposely inflammatory and I hope everyone resists replying to you.
  - Enlightended
    
    Kayo, no one can even understand what that jibberish meant! It’s funny someone to see someone who speaks in ebonics talking ill on anyone else…
    - Kayo
      
      I had to read the comment more than once, but I have learned how to decipher Ebonics.
    - SMH
      
      Go read a damn book with your ignorant a$$!
- Hello_Kitty81
  
  What this gotta do with black women and procreation? This story is about a nutjob calling a baby a ho and then shooting at the girl and her family, use that anger at the bats**t crazy nutjob and his family and stop judging the mom, you don’t know her!
  - http://www.facebook.com/minkysmom82 Alexis Morris
    
    I am confused as well. even IF the mother and her daughters were ‘hoes’ what right does someone have to shoot someone up for being a ho?
    - April
      
      You are confused. What do you mean even IF the daughter’s were hoes? How the heck can a three year old baby be a ho?
      - Kayo
        
        I think she was speaking hypothetically, and not actually meaning that a toddler or any child can be a ‘hoe’.
        
        http://www.facebook.com/minkysmom82 Alexis Morris
        
        thanks. that’s what I meant. not that there was any possibility of such, but in the hypothetical.
- Native_Noir
  
  o__O…. Sir or Madame…Have a _/ (seat).
COMPTON

They need to bring back the death penalty no dobt about it because these young thugs are running wild and don’t respect nobody that breaths so they need to be put down like the animals that they are I am sick of this mess.
Yvette

I am a Detroit native living in another state. My brother who still lives in the D told me that it is true that no one bothers to call the police there because they either don’t show up or won’t investigate when they do show up. This is the reason this jerk did what he did with no regard for the law because he knows DPD is not going to do a darn thing. I wish the state would go ahead and take over that city and clean it up like they are doing with the horrible school system. I love love love my hometown and would like to move back someday but not until real improvements are made.
- D Man
  
  Same here. I’m a Detroit native too. I left because the job situation was/is horrible. I think I could probably get a job in Detroit now, but I’m not going back there. The people of Detroit just keep voting in the same garbage politicians that helped to get them into the horrible financial/crime ridden state that they find themselves in today. The bad part is, I think most of the half-way decent people may have left the city in frustration, all that’s left are people who just don’t give damn.
  
  And the Detroit police department is ABSOLUTELY useless. All they do is run around giving out “speeding” tickets for driving 37 mph in a 35 mph zone, while drug dealing / robbery / murder goes thru the roof.
  - up20
    
    Up20
    
    You are correct. Our people are leaving The D in drastic numbers but that only makes the matter worse. I’m no longer in The D due to military obligations but my plan is to return home and influence change the best way possible. Our city needs people like you and me…let these fools leave! I’m staying! Lol
- D Man
  
  Same here. I’m a Detroit native too. I left because the job situation was/is horrible. I think I could probably get a job in Detroit now, but I’m not going back there. The people of Detroit just keep voting in the same garbage politicians that helped to get them into the horrible financial/crime ridden state that they find themselves in today. The bad part is, I think most of the half-way decent people may have left the city in frustration, all that’s left are people who just don’t give damn.
  
  And the Detroit police department is ABSOLUTELY useless. All they do is run around giving out “speeding” tickets for driving 37 mph in a 35 mph zone, while drug dealing / robbery / murder goes thru the roof.
- D Man
  
  Same here. I’m a Detroit native too. I left because the job situation was/is horrible. I think I could probably get a job in Detroit now, but I’m not going back there. The people of Detroit just keep voting in the same garbage politicians that helped to get them into the horrible financial/crime ridden state that they find themselves in today. The bad part is, I think most of the half-way decent people may have left the city in frustration, all that’s left are people who just don’t give damn.
  
  And the Detroit police department is ABSOLUTELY useless. All they do is run around giving out “speeding” tickets for driving 37 mph in a 35 mph zone, while drug dealing / robbery / murder goes thru the roof.
- D Man
  
  Same here. I’m a Detroit native too. I left because the job situation was/is horrible. I think I could probably get a job in Detroit now, but I’m not going back there. The people of Detroit just keep voting in the same garbage politicians that helped to get them into the horrible financial/crime ridden state that they find themselves in today. The bad part is, I think most of the half-way decent people may have left the city in frustration, all that’s left are people who just don’t give damn.
  
  And the Detroit police department is ABSOLUTELY useless. All they do is run around giving out “speeding” tickets for driving 37 mph in a 35 mph zone, while drug dealing / robbery / murder goes thru the roof.
http://twitter.com/MsRedboneBrite Tee Elyse

Just trifling!! Smh.. what is the world coming to?? Hope the baby recovers and the mom finds them a nice home!
lalatarea

DPD doesn’t do ISH! they are a joke if anything u can catch then harassing citizens but NOT doing anything to help.

Like you said REPORTED crime is down cuz most people think either the police won’t do anything (that’s if they actually show up at the scene) our they’ll take care of it themself.
Be Fair

No, not just Detroit. Ignorance is running rampant everywhere. There are very few, if any areas in the country that have not experienced illogical behavior/crimes. I am tired of Detroit being the poster child for the country’s ills. look at New York, Chicago, Miami etc.
- Kayo
  
  This isn’t about ignorance. This is about violence and crime. I don’t think Detroit is the poster child for the country’s ills. What is happening in Detroit does not affect the whole country.
Native_Noir

You have got to be FUGGIN kidding me!!!!!!! SMGDH…My prayers go out to this innocent baby and this distraught Mother. Matter of fact I’m praying for anyone in the vicinity of this NUTCASE since he’s still on the loose. PLEASE catch him DPD so he can have a _/ in a jail cell. Jesus take the wheel.
Hello_Kitty81

Why would anybody call a 3-year-old a ho and then shoot her, WTF is wrong with folks today?!? There’s a special place in H-E-Double hockey sticks for people like him!
- Kayo
  
  Black boys/men who are heavily influenced by Black culture take issue with seeing girls and women as more than their v@gina, which is why so many of them refer to women and girls as females, b@tches, and h@es.
  - ProgressiveWisdom
    
    What “Black culture” are you speaking of? I don’t know of any Black culture that calls for calling a three year old a hoe and then shooting them. Why would you consider any of that part of any Black culture? This is a cold hearted bastard who should be taken as singular in his actions. And should be off the street ASAP!
    - Kayo
      
      “Why would you consider any of that part of any Black culture?”
      
      I don’t know why I would because I don’t. When I referred to Black boys and men being heavily influenced by Black culture, I was referring to the part where Black men and Black boys reserve a certain level of disrespect and hatred for Black women and girls, which leads to them referring to women and girls as h@es, b@tches, and females.
      - ProgressiveWisdom
        
        This has nothing to do with Black culture, but a culture of neglect and misogyny. It come from a culture of telling Black men that they don’t matter in the family, community or world..Then them over compensating with an overly macho attitude, so that they can to be heard and seen, through negative or positive response. But I digress. It still sounds like you are blaming some sort of “Black culture” for this. You didn’t dispel the negative context of your original statement at all.
        
        Kayo
        
        Yes, a culture of misogyny AND sexism that Black men (and some women) are heavily in favor of.
        
        ProgressiveWisdom
        
        It isn’t sexism at all. When a Black woman tells a Black man over and over that he isn’t needed in his family community or world, he can and does lash out. He is taught that the loudest or most obnoxious gets the most attention, good or bad, and he uses it to make himself feel the importance he has been denied is whole life. It’s a vicious cycle that no one wants to stop because they are too proud to back down.
        
        http://twitter.com/AFreeQueen Erica Merriweather
        
        Please explain the ever- rising crime rate involving white men doing the same things to their women and children, then…. Crimes like this have nothing to do with black culture but it does have a lot to do with the decline of common sense and a rising of selfishness in this world that a lot of people are basking in.. all because they have had that in them from the start. They just refuse to get help for it.

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