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Update, 4:30 p.m. Sunday: An employee of Hookah Joe suffered a minor injury after being hit "by a passing round" of gunfire Sunday morning in Royal Oak on Washington near Lincoln, police say.
The incident began on the second floor of Hookah Joes around 3:30 a.m. Two suspects in the shooting got into an altercation with another customer.
During the confrontation, one suspect brandished a handgun and a second suspect "motioned as if he had a handguns in his waistband," the news release said (Full release below).
Security escorted the two suspects out of the hookah lounge, and they were confronted by the patron they had gotten into with. As they walked to their car on S. Washington, north of Hookah Joe, one suspect fired a round outside, but didn't hit the patron, who went back inside. The suspects then pulled up in the car and fired three or four more shots inside the lounge, grazing the employee in the head, said Royal Oak Police Lt. David Clemens. The patron was unhurt and no one else was hit.
The suspects fled in a silver or gray car, like a Dodge Charger, witnesses told police.
Anyone with information should call Royal Oak Police at (248) 246-3500.
Original article, Sunday morning:
A person was shot and wounded in downtown Royal Oak early Sunday morning, according to news reports.
Details were sketchy and did not clarify if the victim was a man or a woman.
WDIV reports that the incident happened outside "Hookah Joe" at the corner of Washington Avenue and Lincoln Street about 3:30 a.m. The victim, believed to be an employee from a nearby business, was taken to the hospital.
The station reports it all began with a fight inside the business that spilled outside. Shots were fired and one suspect suspect got into a car, drove past the location and fire more shots.
No one has been arrested.
Police news release:
The Royal Oak Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred at Hookah Joes, 734 S. Washington, in the early morning hours of March 20, 2016. The shooting was preceded by a verbal alteration within the lounge. The initial investigation has determined the suspects fired one round at an individual outside the lounge on Washington Street. The suspects then pulled their vehicle in front of the Hookah Joe’s and fired three to four more rounds into the lounge. One employee was struck by a passing round and suffered a minor head injury.
This incident began on the second floor of the establishment, at approximately 3:30am between the two suspects involved in the shooting and another patron. During the altercation one of the suspects brandished a handgun and the second suspect motioned as if he had a handgun in his waistband.
The suspects were escorted out of the business by security and were confronted by the other patron as they were walking to their vehicle which was parked on S. Washington, north of Hookah Joes. One of the suspects fired a single round at the victim before getting into a vehicle. As the patron was reentering the front of the business, the suspects pulled up in front of Hookah Joe’s and fired three or four more rounds directly into the lounge. The individual who was shot was not involved in the altercation. There were numerous customers still inside the location when the shooting occurred. No other injuries were reported.
Witnesses reported the suspects fled the area in a silver or gray vehicle, likely a Dodge Charger, with chrome rims, tinted windows and a dent on the passenger side door.
- Suspect #1 is described as a 6’ to 6’-3”, dark skinned black male, with a thin build.
- Suspect #2 is described as a 6’, light skin black male, with a medium build and long hair pulled into a pony tail.
Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact Royal Oak Police (248) 246-3500.
