Southfield man blocks gunshot with hand after confronting home invasion suspects

A 24-year-old Southfield man is lucky to be alive after blocking a gunshot aimed at his face with his left hand.

The shooting occurred around 8 p.m. Wednesday in the 18000 block of George Washington in Southfield, where the victim and his brother scheduled a meeting with two Southfield teenagers.

The victim and his brother were already victims of a home invasion at their residence in the area of 8 Mile and Inkster on Tuesday. The following day, they noticed the shooting suspect wearing a pair of shoes they believed had been taken in the robbery, Southfield Police Department Lt. Nick Loussia said.

“They spoke to him and got his cell phone number in order to set up a meeting to buy some merchandise from him,” Loussia said.

The victims, who saw the teen wearing their shoes in the area of 10 Mile and Evergreen, did not tell the suspect that they believed he had their stolen merchandise.

The victims met the suspect and another teen later that day on George Washington.

“While talking about buying things from them, they did notice another pair of shoes that the individual was carrying also appeared to be ones stolen from the same home invasion,” Loussia said.

“One of the victims confronted both suspects with the shoes about having his stolen property. One of the subjects brandished a silver and chrome semiautomatic pistol, pointed it at him and pull the trigger.”

When the victim saw the gun, he moved quickly to his right and covered his face with his left hand.

“That’s when he was shot in the hand,” Loussia said. “The hand that covered his face blocked a round from hitting him in the face. Several shots were fired.”

The victim’s 22-year-old brother pulled out a handgun and returned fire, firing several shots at the initial shooter. He has a valid concealed pistol license, according to Loussia.

Police investigated and found the initial shooter, along with the man he was with. The 17 and 18-year-old Southfield residents were arrested without incident, and the handgun that was used in the crime was recovered.

The man that was shot was transported to Beaumont Hospital. The bullet went through his hand and the injury requires surgery, but it is not a life-threatening injury.

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