Detroit 13-Year-Old Accused of Shooting Father Caught in Ohio After Highway Chase in Family's Rivian

A 13-year-old boy accused of shooting his father twice in the back at their Detroit home was arrested in Ohio Tuesday night after fleeing in the family's SUV with the household dog. Detroit police had spent the evening warning residents not to approach him.

Officers were called to the 18000 block of Bretton Drive on Detroit's west side around 5 p.m. Tuesday for a reported disturbance. When they arrived, they learned the boy had shot his father before driving off in the family's gray 2026 Rivian, according to Dietrich Lever, commanding officer of the Detroit Police Department's 8th Precinct. The family's dog, a French mastiff, was in the vehicle too.

Lever said the shooting followed what he described as an instance of discipline. The father came home and disciplined the boy, and the boy took offense, Lever said. When the father returned again later, the boy shot him twice in the back.

Police said the father is expected to survive. His name and exact condition were not released.

The boy was last seen heading south on the Southfield Freeway toward Lincoln Park, driving on Michigan plate FAX 8251. Detroit police told the public to treat him as armed and dangerous and not to approach him if spotted. "Call 911, call the police and get us out there and let us take him into custody safely," Lever said during the search.

Investigators said they did not immediately know where the boy got the gun or whether it belonged to his father. They also had no description of what he was wearing when he ran.

Around 10 p.m., roughly five hours after the shooting, Detroit police announced the boy had been taken into custody in Ohio without injury. He was not alone. Another individual was found inside the Rivian with him, along with the dog. Police have not said who that second person is or what role, if any, they played in the boy fleeing the state. Detroit police are now working with Ohio authorities to extradite both the teen and the other individual back to Michigan. Police cautioned that details released so far are preliminary and could change.

On Bretton Drive, neighbors said they were rattled by how close the shooting happened to their own front doors. Jerry King, who has lived on the block since 1997, said he had never heard of anyone getting shot there. "It's the first time I've ever heard of anybody getting shot. On this block," he said.

Elizabeth Ashford, who has lived nearby for 36 years, said a close neighbor found the father after the shooting and stayed with him until paramedics arrived. "Unfortunately, one of my neighbors that I'm very close with found the gentleman, and he stayed with him until paramedics came," she said. Ashford said she was still struggling to understand what led a child to do this. "Just trying to understand or trying to grasp what is he going through?" she said.

Lever told reporters there was no ongoing threat to the neighborhood and described the area as generally safe. But the shooting left residents talking about gun storage in homes with children. "You hear it all the time: keep your guns locked up. If you got guns, keep them locked up," King said.

Detroit police have not released the boy's name, consistent with the department's practice in cases involving juvenile suspects, and have not said what charges he could face once he is returned to Michigan. Wayne County prosecutors have not commented on the case. The identity and status of the other person found in the vehicle in Ohio also remains unclear.

Extradition proceedings between Ohio and Michigan typically take days to weeks, depending on whether the parties involved waive formal hearings. Detroit police said they will release additional information as the case moves forward and as the teen and the other individual are transferred back to Wayne County.