Last week, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison joined Mayor Mike Duggan and other officials in announcing the launch of a new teen violence prevention plan.

Under the new plan, minors age 15 and under must be with a parent after 10 p.m. The curfew for children ages 16 and 17 is 11 p.m. The plan also calls for increased curfew enforcement, illegal block party enforcement, and higher fines for breaking curfews.

The “crackdown” on curfew violations is in response to recent shooting incidents involving children in the city. But how effective can that be in stopping violent crime, and what else is the city doing to stop violence at the root?

Bettison joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss the city’s new violence prevention plan and talk about why violence tends to spike during the summer months.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

The firearm store that sold the gun used in the Oxford High School shooting is asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to dismiss a liability lawsuit filed by the family of a survivor.

In a filing with the court, Acme Shooting Goods argues that it’s too far removed from the crime to be held culpable. The business said store personnel had no way of knowing the 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun would be used in a mass shooting, or that James Crumbley was making the purchase for his teenaged son.

The brief, which uses the killer’s initials instead of his name, argues the claim requires assumptions that are not reflected in the record.

“E.C. stated that he asked his dad to purchase the gun for him; that he gave his dad money for the gun; that he picked out the gun; and that the gun was not kept in a locked container. But E.C. did not testify—and the complaint does not allege—that any of these statements or actions occurred in the store during the sale,” said the brief. It also said the plaintiffs did not identify “red flags” that should have alerted staff the purchase was a “straw sale” being made by the elder Crumbley for his son.

In the lawsuit, the family of Elijah Mueller, who was 14 at the time he was injured in the 2021 shooting, said they can show the dealer knew this was a straw sale by the shooter’s father for his teenaged son.

Matthew Turner, the attorney for the Mueller family, told Michigan Public Radio he can show the gun store skirted the rules when it allowed the shooter and his father to walk out with the gun used in the shootings.

“And we believe that there’s plenty of facts that, if we are fortunate enough to get to discovery, that will demonstrate that they knew that this gun was being purchased for the minor, who’s name I’m not going to use,” he said. “We think that there’s an important societal purpose and benefit to hold gun dealers accountable when they don’t follow the mandates of the law and something bad happens.”

Michigan and federal law make it difficult to sue gun dealers and manufacturers, but Lekha Menon, an attorney with Giffords Law Center, said there are cases being pursued across the country to hold the firearm industry more culpable for mass shootings.

“And I think claims like this against negligent dealers allow individuals to say, well, you had a duty to act a certain way, you violated that duty, and so we can hold you accountable,” she said. “And the more successful claims that we have like that, I think the more similar cases we’ll have popping up in relation to shootings like that.”

Detroit officials announced the launch of a new teen violence prevention plan in response to recent shooting incidents involving children in the city.

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At a news conference on Monday, Mayor Mike Duggan said the city will enforce a 10 p.m. curfew as part of the plan, adding that over the past month, 12 of the 20 shootings involving minors happened late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

“Whatever trouble teenagers may get into in the afternoon and the evening as you start to get to 11, 12, 1 in the morning — whether they’re drinking, whether they’re using substances, whether they’re just beefing — the behavior gets worse and worse,” he said.

Duggan says he will ask the Detroit City Council to raise the fines for parents whose kids are caught outside after curfew without adult supervision. 

Duggan is also authorizing more overtime for the Detroit Police Department, so officers will stay out later to enforce the curfew against groups of teenagers. 

Watch Duggan and Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison’s announcement about the effort here.

Reporting by Russ McNamara, WDET News

Other headlines for Monday, July 7, 2025:

• The city of Dearborn has unveiled another ability inclusive playscape. This third installment can be found at Lapeer Park, joining Ford Woods and Crowley parks in providing activities for children with special mobility needs. Dearborn Parks & Recreation worked with disability groups and families to design the park.
• Michigan residents now have the option to take the written portion of the driver’s education course online. The “KnowTo Drive” test can be taken at Michigan Secretary of State branches and offices, and is available in different languages. Eligible Michigan residents over 18 must verify proof of identity and pay a $6.50 convenience fee. They will also have to use a webcam to prove their identity.
• Detroit Documenters is a program that trains and pays people to take notes at public meetings in Detroit. Documenters is hosting a network-wide Virtual Note-taking Practice Session from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9. Participants must complete an orientation training before participating in the note-taking training. The Documenters are also hosting a photo documenting workshop in Tech Town on July 15.  

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.