4-year-old shot in back on playground slide dies, MI cops say. ‘Very disturbed’
A 4-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man were killed in a shooting at a Michigan playground, authorities say.
As of July 1, officers in Detroit continue to search for the gunman following the double-fatal shooting Friday, June 27, at Skinner Park, police said in a news briefing streamed by WXYZ.
Jasmine Grubbs told WJBK she and her family had just arrived at the park when she heard gunshots as her son was climbing the ladder to the slide.
“My baby didn’t even get the chance to go down the slide. They got him while he was going up a ladder,” Grubbs said of her son, Samir Grubbs, according to WJBK.
Samir had been shot in the back, and died of his injuries, Police Chief Todd Bettison said.
A second victim, identified in media reports as 18-year-old Daviyon Shelmonson-Bey, was also killed in the shooting, according to police.
Joseph Shelmonson-Bey, the victim’s father, learned his son was at the park with his girlfriend and dove in front of a bullet to save a child, WDIV reported.
“He just reacted. He reacted to save somebody else,” the father told the news outlet. “I don’t really think he thought about it — he just did it.”
A 17-year-old also shot suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to police.
Two people of interest were in custody after the shooting, but were later released without charges filed, the Detroit Free Press reported June 30.
The shooting left the police chief emotional, saying he was “very, very disturbed” by the loss of life.
“All life is valuable, but this one right here in particular gets to me,” Bettison said in the news briefing.
Police have not released information about what led to the shooting or who fired the fatal shots.
“Just turn yourself in,” Jasmine Grubbs said in interview with WWJ. “I know people act off impulse and they’re not really thinking, but you know, now that you killed kids, I just want you to know, the best thing to do is turn yourself in.”
She described Samir as “everybody’s little man” who people gravitated toward, WJBK reported.
Joseph Shelmonson-Bey said his son “loved photography” and was “just a very helpful little guy,” according to WXYZ.
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 9:19 AM with the headline "4-year-old shot in back on playground slide dies, MI cops say. ‘Very disturbed’."