DPD chief credits investigators, tips for arrests in 2 murders

DPD chief credits investigators, tips for arrests in 2 murders

Two teenagers were murdered on the Southfield Freeway service drive Thursday, gunned down over a silly, senseless argument.

Late Wednesday, a grandfather and Vietnam veteran was killed trying to help his teenage grandchildren when they were attacked by other teens during a break-in.

Wednesday afternoon, a man was fatally stabbed in broad daylight trying to help a woman who was arguing with another man on Detroit's east side.

"There's this belief that any time you step outside of your door, someone is waiting to gun you down," said Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee.

However, he is assuring the public these were not random acts.  Now there has been progress in the investigations.  Arrests have been made in two of the three cases, and a suspect has been identified in the murders of the two teens.

"Looking at the volume of what went on in a short amount of time, for me the purpose of this is to let the public know that we are completely in control of these situations.  We have persons of interest.  These are not random situations, and our investigators have done a tremendous job," Godbee said.

A young man is under arrest in the shooting death of 62-year-old grandfather John Villneff.  There has also been an arrest in the deadly stabbing.

"These are heroic men who were coming to the aid of others who were in trouble," said Godbee.

Instead they were murdered, but police say their killers are now in custody and tips from concerned citizens have been instrumental in getting these bad guys off the streets.

"When the community is in an uproar and you see this level of violence in a short amount of time, when you're making investigative progress and the community is assisting in doing that, we need to give them that feedback," Godbee said.