In the late hours of a Wednesday evening in June 2012, a tragedy unfolded on the west side of Detroit that would leave a family questioning the circumstances surrounding the death of 17-year-old Marshall McGrew Jr.. The young man was shot four times at the corner of Lauder and Joy Road, but in the moments after the attack, he was able to make a desperate call to his mother for help.
Tragically, when his mother arrived at the scene, she was unable to locate him.
Marshall lay bleeding in a lot where the grass was overgrown, his body concealed by the tall weeds. His family believes that this, coupled with a non-functioning streetlight at the corner, contributed to the delay in him receiving medical attention. His father, Marshall McGrew Sr., expressed immense frustration, stating that he was prevented by police from taking his son to the hospital himself due to the area being considered a crime scene. Marshall McGrew Jr. ultimately died at the hospital.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Detroit police were left with very few leads. Witnesses reported seeing two cars speeding away from the area after the gunshots, but the darkness made it impossible to get a clear description of the vehicles or their occupants. One of the detectives assigned to the case was a personal friend of the family, adding a layer of personal connection to the investigation. Despite this, the case grew cold, with no suspects publicly identified or arrested in connection with the murder of Marshall McGrew Jr. The family was left to mourn and wonder if a quicker response and better maintenance of the area could have saved the young man's life.
