Investigators are trying to determine who fired into an east-side home, striking a 5-year-old girl who had just returned from trick-or-treating.
DETROIT — Detroit police continued searching for a shooter after gunfire entered an east-side home on Halloween night and struck a 5-year-old girl in the chest as she played inside after trick-or-treating.
The investigation centers on a home in the 5200 block of Iroquois Street, where police said shots were fired into the back of the residence shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The girl was taken to Children’s Hospital of Michigan and was reported in stable condition. Police had not publicly identified a suspect or announced an arrest through Nov. 2.
Deputy Chief Arnold Williams said officers first responded to the hospital after learning that a child had been shot. Investigators spoke with her parents and traced the shooting to the Iroquois Street home, where officers found evidence of gunfire. The child had returned from trick-or-treating and was playing in a back room when she was hit.
Police have not released a motive or explained what may have led to the shooting. Investigators also had not determined publicly whether the person responsible was walking or traveling in a vehicle when the shots were fired. No information released by police established that the girl was an intended target.
The lack of an identified shooter remained a central question in the case. Police were examining what happened before the gunfire and who may have been responsible for firing toward the occupied home. Authorities had not released a description of a suspect or publicly identified a vehicle connected to the shooting.
Williams said the girl was still wearing her Halloween costume when she was wounded. Police said she realized she had been shot and alerted her mother, who took action to get her medical care. Her name has not been released, consistent with authorities withholding the identity of the young victim.
The shooting happened during an evening when children and families had been outside for Halloween activities. Williams said the girl’s survival was fortunate and called attention to the risks created by gunfire in a residential neighborhood. Investigators have not reported that anyone else inside or near the home was injured.
While several local reports have provided details from the initial police briefing, authorities have released little additional information about the person who fired the shots. The available accounts do not establish whether the home was specifically targeted, what prompted the shooting or how many people may have been involved.
Police continued investigating the case as of Nov. 2, with the shooter still being sought in the most recent reports. The girl’s condition had been described as stable, and no later official medical update or arrest announcement had been publicly reported.
Author note: Last updated November 2, 2026.