Police in Flint continue to investigate case of passing car that frightened family

FLINT, Michigan – We have an update on the non-fatal drive-by shooting that has shocked a Flint family.

The shooting occurred just before 12:30 a.m. on June 23 in the north of the city, leaving children afraid and their mothers frustrated.

She contacted us about the case and said that the Flint Police Department’s investigation did not seem to be making any progress.

On Wednesday, Flint Police Detective Sergeant Tyrone Booth spoke with Mid-Michigan NOW reporter Courtney Bennett about the investigation.

He says he understands the frustration of the people in the city, but also stresses that investigations are not completed within minutes or days.

“We are investigating this case. First, let me say that this is a very serious case for the police department. It is important,” Booth says.

Booth says they have spoken to the people involved in this case.

The Ring camera video was turned over to the Flint Police Department.

The photo was taken in front of Tamara Smith’s house shortly before 12:30 a.m. on June 23.

You can see the car and hear gunshots.

“One vehicle alone is not enough. When they made a red Chevrolet, they made thousands of red Chevrolets. So for us, it’s a process to factually establish that a particular person’s vehicle was in a location and that particular person was in the vehicle. I understand the anger about that,” he says.

In this drive-by shooting on Flint’s north side, no one was injured, but the entire house has bullet holes.

Smith asked us to find out why it is taking so long to arrest someone in this case.

Booth says they need to look at everything and make sure there is enough evidence.

“As a police department, we have to make sure we have the right person and we follow the right procedure, so when the case goes to the prosecutor and goes through the court process, we can be confident that we have done everything we need to do to successfully put a person in jail and lock them up for committing a crime,” he says.

This drive-by shooting is just one of many shootings.

Sadly, some were fatal.

The police’s latest crime data has not been updated with the latest murder cases, but Booth says the rate is slightly higher than last year.

“In January 2024, we began issuing special tasks and special enforcement initiatives to address this increase in crime. So we didn’t just start doing this. We were already doing this. We were conducting many different operations to deal with this criminal activity,” Booth says.

Booth tells Mid-Michgan NOW it’s important to remember that police officers can’t solve these cases alone. They need people to come forward and report what they know.

As for the drive-by shooting outside Tamara Smith’s home, Booth told me they are actively investigating the case and will continue to investigate until, hopefully, an arrest is made.