Man shot in face on South Grove Street in Ypsilanti
Editor's note: This article has been updated with the shooting victim's condition and more details about the case.
A 23-year-old Ypsilanti man was shot in the face Monday night in the 200 block of South Grove Street, and Ypsilanti police detectives are searching for two men believed to be responsible.
The victim, who was shot once in the mouth about 11:50 p.m., is in stable condition this morning at a local hospital.
He underwent surgery and a bullet was removed from his tongue, Det. Sgt. Troy Fulton said.
When officers arrived to investigate the shooting Monday night, the victim told them he was shot after meeting in an apartment building hallway with two men he knows. He planned to sell the men a pair of sunglasses, police said.
During the meeting, one of the men pulled out a gun and fired at least two shots, Fulton said. The victim suffered at least one gunshot wound, and the men took money from him, Fulton said.
Officers responded after a security guard called 911. A pair of sunglasses was recovered, police said.
Anyone with information can call Det. Joe Yuhas at (734) 482-9872.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
Bogie
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 12:53 p.m.
I would love to see some serious security at the apartment complexes. I have not lived here long, but it seems, a lot of trouble comes from those places.
Davidian
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 6:03 a.m.
Anyone thinks that selling sunglasses in the jets and getting shot in the process is somehow a normal activity is very naive or being deliberately obtuse. No middle ground, sorry.
RJA
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 1:23 a.m.
Apparently the victim didn't know these two men very well. This shooting is horrible, (a shot in the mouth) there has to be dis-figurement. Give the police a few minutes, they will catch these cowards.
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 1:16 a.m.
Just a heads up for all you sun glasses fans out there...... Walgreen's, Rite-aid, CVS, Meijers, Target, Walmart....... I could list dozens more and the cashier won't shoot you either.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 2:04 a.m.
They don't sell these at Walgreens <a href="http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/sunglasses/rb2140/901-58" rel='nofollow'>http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/sunglasses/rb2140/901-58</a>
Woman in Ypsilanti
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 10 p.m.
I am kind of curious why, in the absence of any other information, so many here in the comments are so quick to blame the victim. Apparently selling sunglasses at NIGHT is suspicious behavior. Really?!? Did you guys know that some people work late? And that sometimes people sell things that they own to people they know and sometimes what they're selling is a pair of sunglasses. For all you know, the victim works late and was selling an expensive pair of sunglasses that they didn't need anymore. The only thing we know about the victim is that he is male and that he said he was selling sunglasses to the guys who shot him. And that this all happened in a neighborhood that is demographically poor and black. What possible reason could anyone have to speculate further about this? On a side note, even if someone is selling something illegally, they still don't deserve to get shot in the face.
aawolve
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 5:10 p.m.
Selling sunglasses at night is suspicious behavior, yes.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 2:07 a.m.
Why would selling something with a retail value of almost $200 be suspicious? People do it all of the time. Sometimes to friends, sometimes to people they barely know and even sometimes to strangers.
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 1:23 a.m.
"On a side note, even if someone is selling something illegally, they still don't deserve to get shot in the face" I don't think anyone has suggested otherwise. On the other hand what has been suggested is that we all need to take some personal responsibility for our own safety.
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 1:19 a.m.
"Apparently selling sunglasses at NIGHT is suspicious behavior. Really?!?" I'll go a step further and suggest selling sunglasses at all is suspicious.
Macabre Sunset
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 7:40 p.m.
I'm just amazed that a bullet can become lodged in a tongue, and that police can get a coherent interview out of a man who was just shot in the tongue.
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 1:17 a.m.
inquiring minds want to know...;)
sbc1944
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 6:57 p.m.
*Singing* I wear my sunglasses at night...
treetowncartel
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 9:26 p.m.
no fair, you get to reference Corey Hart but i don't.
sbc1944
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 6:54 p.m.
Sunglasses = illegal action...
rs
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 5:53 p.m.
I can't believe there are people out there that can point a gun at somebody's head and pull the trigger over a pair of sunglasses. Anybody lacking a conscience to this degree needs to go away forever.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 9:41 p.m.
See there. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. More to the story than sunglasses at night.
cinnabar7071
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 8:28 p.m.
RS I cant believe it either. Thats why I believe there more to the story.
Ricebrnr
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 7:56 p.m.
I can and the sooner you can and plan for it the better.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 6:19 p.m.
"I can't believe there are people out there that can point a gun at somebody's head and pull the trigger over a pair of sunglasses" Neither can I. Really.
Fatkitty
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 5:47 p.m.
"after meeting in an apartment building hallway with two men he knows. He planned to sell the men a pair of sunglasses, police said." At 10 minutes to midnight, I might add. Must be a booming business. "Open 24 hours". "We deliver". etc etc etc
Woman in Ypsilanti
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 5:31 p.m.
I hope the shooters go to jail for a long time over this.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 5:20 p.m.
"Sunglasses" deal gone bad. Happens a lot nowadays.
Atticus F.
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 6:49 p.m.
Well these things may seem odd to you or me, Eyehearta2, I refuse to assume that someone is a criminal just because they live a different lifestyle or do things differently.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 6:18 p.m.
@atticus; well....let's see. Sale of one pair of sunglasses to two men? Odd Sale of sunglasses at midnight? Odd. Sale of sunglasses at all between 3 private individuals (who buys used sunglasses)? Odd. Delivering sunglasses? Odd Add up odd, odd, odd and odd - and yes it is still a bit, shall we say, odd. You go ahead and put whatever spin you want on it. I see a walking, talking, shooting duck. (not to bring waterfowl into this heated debate) Usually people get robbed on CL over high dollar items, not sunglasses at night.
Fatkitty
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 5:55 p.m.
"sunglasses deal" - yeah, right.
Atticus F.
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 5:24 p.m.
Actually, alot of people have been robbed, and even killed while selling everyday items on craigslist. Why is there this attitude of suspicion towards this victim... Oh wait, I think I know why.
Grimey
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 4:37 p.m.
This is the 4th comment regarding this article about a young man intentionally shot in the face. There are 187 comments to an article where a goose was intentionally run over. Are so many readers so emotionally connected to water fowl and yet so callous and indifferent toward a fellow human being? What a world you all must live in, jus sayin'.
aawolve
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 : 1:22 p.m.
Save your sanctimony. This incident isn't controversial, most agree that it's bad, so what's to argue about? There are more differing opinions regarding the animal killings, so more debate as well. Obviously, to us living in a logical world, the amount of comments a story gets isn't necessarily related to it's importance.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 9:44 p.m.
@Atticus I thank a more accurate statement would be. He SAID he was selling a pair of sunglasses. Nothing illegal in selling sunglasses. BTW, how often do you think somebody actually just tells the truth in a situation like this?
cinnabar7071
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 8:24 p.m.
" he was selling a pair of sun glasses, nothing illegal about that" At 11:50pm, who does that?
Woman in Ypsilanti
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 5:36 p.m.
I wonder if it is because there isn't exactly any controversy about this incident. I can't imagine that anyone would think that shooting another person in the face is a good thing to do. But there is some controversy about running over wild water fowl with one's car. If everyone thought such things were horrible, there wouldn't be many comments about that either. A lack of comments does not equal indifference towards a fellow human being at all. But I added a comment just for you in case that helps.
Atticus F.
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 5:18 p.m.
Steph, why would anybody not be sympathetic to this person? he was selling a pair of sun glasses, nothing illegal about that. Is it because he lives on the south side of ypsi that makes people assume he was doing somthing illegal?. Also, I personally find it bothersome that alot of the people who are so angry about a duck dying, eat about 30 dead chickens a year. I guess the person who kills one duck has blood on his hands and should spend years in prison (at a cost of 30k/year), but the people who eat 30 chickens a year are just dandy.
Steph B
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 4:51 p.m.
I understand what you're saying, but perhaps when we hear about all the shootings, robberies, house fires, murders, suicides, etc. every day, they all begin to blur. Plus readers may assume this story takes place over a foul "business exchange" or illegal activity, and many don't have sympathy for such scenarios. Just a thought. I think there are many many people out there who are sympathetic to this man, and other people who are the victims of violent crimes. But there may not be much to "comment" about because we see/hear this stuff daily.
eyeonthenews
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 3:52 p.m.
Since the victim knows these two guys I'm hoping it won't be long before they are picked up by the police. Glad to hear the victim will recover. Hope these two go down for attempted murder and robbery. They need to be locked up for a long, long time.
A2 is a Utopia
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 3:40 p.m.
While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions
Ricebrnr
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 7:57 p.m.
If you are free to choose your actions, then you must accept the likely consequences of the same.
Jake C
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 4:49 p.m.
I don't quite understand what your point is...