By Brett Gillin
It’s one of the most horrific crimes you can imagine, and the citizens of Detroit are starting to be able to rest a little easier, as police have arrested half of the suspects in a brutal gang rape and assault spree. For more than a week, six suspects who police say raped women at gunpoint while forcing the people they were with to watch before assaulting them, have been at large. Now, the first of them has been charged, two more are behind bars, and the next three suspects are almost certain to follow.
The nightmare began on July 16th, around 10:00 pm in Detroit. According to WXYZ, that is when a 21-year-old woman and her 22-year-old male friend were walking through the city, minding their own business. Suddenly, six men approached them and began threatening the pair. One of the men allegedly pulled out a gun and forced both victims into an alley. That’s when the group took turns raping the woman and assaulting the man before robbing them both.
According to The Detroit News, the group did not stop there. Police believe that a mere two hours later, the group decided to commit these heinous acts again. This time, two of the suspects approached a 19-year-old female and a 21-year-old male, pulled out a gun, and forced them into a nearby alley. Once again, the suspects allegedly raped the woman while forcing the man to watch before robbing them. This time, they also made off with the victims’ clothes.
Police are also looking into a similar atrocity that occurred on July 11th. For now, police have arrested three suspects: 22-year-old Chico Lee Bruce, 18-year-old Antoine Edward-Ikie Orr, and 17-year-old Jordon Reese. While police tracked down Orr and Reese, Bruce turned himself in after the other suspects were officially arrested. All three of the men have been officially arraigned on 19 counts, including 13 counts of First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct, one count of Kidnapping, one count of Unlawful Imprisonment, two counts of Armed robbery, one count of Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily harm less than Murder, and one count of having a Felony Firearm.
“It’s horrifying,” Detroit Deputy Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald told reporters during a news conference. “You try to teach people to walk in pairs, and (the victims) did.”
Volunteers throughout Detroit banded together to help the police identify and capture the victims, according to Click on Detroit. “We have to do something,” Hassan Williams, one of the volunteers, told reporters. “The police can’t do it all. We are able-bodied. This is our community. At the end of the day when the police are gone, we are still living here.”
Perhaps with the heat being turned up by the Detroit Police Department and the army of volunteers, the other three suspects will be off the streets before anyone else suffers from such a horrific crime.
