TAYLOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Police in Taylor are investigating two separate shootings that occurred at The Ponds Village Apartments in less than 48 hours, and they're searching for a person of interest.
The most recent shooting happened Sunday around 8:50 p.m. on Pond Village Drive near Eureka Road.
Watch Carli Petrus' video report below:
Taylor Police Lt. Joshua Schneider said the incident occurred during an Easter dinner gathering.
"Individuals there had friends and family over for Easter dinner and unfortunately, an argument ensued between two individuals inside there resulting in a shooting," Schneider said.
One man was shot in the chest. He was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive, largely due to the swift action of police on the scene who used a chest seal on the victim.
"Placed a seal over it, so it doesn’t allow air to get sucked back into a chest cavity if they have a lung wound or something of that nature. So as someone breathes out, the air can come out, but it cannot be pulled back in," Schneider said.
Now, investigators are searching for 25-year-old Joshua Malik Obie, who is named a person of interest. Police consider him armed and dangerous, and he is known to frequent Detroit.
The Sunday night incident followed a separate shooting involving teens at the same complex just hours earlier.
"On Saturday early morning, just about 1 o'clock in the morning, three individuals had met up with each other in the back of Pond Village near the gate, were hanging out for several minutes and unfortunately, an argument ensued where someone pulled out a gun and shot an individual," Schneider said.
The victim was shot in the leg and is expected to be OK.
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"I’ve been here for over 14 and a half years and having two shootings in the same area within that short period of time is not something that happens often," Schneider said.
Taylor Police Chief John Blair said the southwest corner of town, where the apartment complex is located, has been rough since the 1990s. Police are now actively patrolling the area, which we observed while out there Monday evening.
Some residents said violence seems to be more common recently.
"Yeah, recently," Zachary said.
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One woman, who has lived in the complex for about two years, told us off camera she is trying to move out because she fears for her and her four children's safety.
The apartment community, located near Eureka Road and Inkster Road, is managed by McKinley. We reached out to the company for comment but are still waiting to hear back.
Officers said they are working closely with McKinley to address ongoing concerns. Still, neighbors and police said they are seeing a troubling pattern of disputes turning into gun violence.
"We see it all over, not just including our southwest side of the city. We see it every day across the state with road rage incidents," Schneider said. "People need to understand that resorting to gun violence over an argument is just not the answer."
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Anyone with information about either shooting or the whereabouts of Obie is urged to contact Taylor police immediately.
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