After the First 48: Crowds, Costumes Could Complicate Investigations Into Halloween Shootings

The East Lansing Police Department provided six descriptions of individuals believed to be involved in two separate shootings early Sunday morning as Halloween celebrations took place in East Lansing. 

Five people were shot Sunday, four are in stable condition and the condition of one is unknown. While Police Chief Jennifer Brown said Sunday during a news conference several people were taken into custody in connection to one of the shootings, the press release published by the city Wednesday said no one is in custody and charges have not been filed in relation to the shootings. Police believe the perpetrators left the area immediately after the shootings, according to the press release. 

Three people were shot at about 12:26 a.m. near the intersection of M.A.C. Avenue and Linden Street, and two people were shot at about 1:40 a.m. near Stoddard Street and Frye Avenue, according to the press release. The shootings took place as police worked during one of East Lansing’s busiest weekends and around the same time as two serious car-pedestrian crashes that officers also responded to, Brown said at the news conference Sunday. 

The hectic nature of Halloween weekend and some suspects wearing costumes are factors that could significantly complicate a police investigation, said David Carter, a Michigan State University criminal justice professor. 

While it isn’t clear what leads the ELPD has in its investigations, Carter said the passage of time can make it increasingly difficult to solve crimes. He said the idea, popularized by the true-crime television series “The First 48,” that the first 48 hours after an incident are critical to an investigation holds true.

“As time increases from the incident, evidence immediately begins to disappear or decay, the offenders get further from the scene,” Carter said. “Even witness memories and observations get polluted.” 

Although survivors and witnesses have provided the ELPD with descriptions of the shooters, Carter said victims sometimes do not know who shot them. That does not necessarily mean the shootings were random. In some cases, arguments or altercations escalate into violence between people who recognize one another but do not know each other’s names.

It is helpful to have descriptions of suspects, even if their faces were covered, Carter said. He said police likely have combed through footage from the night to see if they can link perpetrators to a vehicle or residence. 

“[Police] start looking at surveillance cameras to try to identify the shooters,” he said. “You may not be able to identify them personally, but if we can see them in a vehicle or getting in a car, going some place … going into a residence. If by some chance we have cameras somewhere that can make that link, even though they have the mask on … that’s going to help.”

Advanced technology and forensic capabilities can help detectives, though piecing evidence together is labor intensive and often takes time, Carter said. 

ELPD’s press release from Wednesday said seven guns obtained from the crime scenes have been sent to the Michigan State Police crime lab to be analyzed. Further, Carter said detectives may have recovered bullets or shell casings from the scene that could link guns used in the East Lansing shootings to other gun crimes. 

Additionally, while the shootings occurred outside of the core downtown area where security cameras are common, many homes have doorbell cameras that could aid an investigation. Police departments cannot unilaterally obtain this footage from private cameras and need to have footage given to them by camera owners, Carter said. While doorbell cameras often don’t provide as clear of images as regular security cameras, detectives may be able to use cameras from different locations to make critical determinations, like the direction the shooters went after the incidents. 

In the ELPD’s press release, the department asks residents who may have gathered video evidence through a doorbell camera, Tesla camera or other camera to share footage.

Carter said police can also use information from cell towers to identify the phone numbers, times and approximate locations associated with text messages, though they cannot view the actual messages. The data can help investigators determine whether suspects were in a particular location at a given time. But with so many people downtown during Halloween weekend, Carter said sorting through the information will take time.

Carter, who has assessed the work of large police departments during his career, said there is a wide discrepancy in the success of investigations from department to department. 

For example, when Carter reviewed the work of Houston police, there was an 85% clearance rate of homicides. When he reviewed the New Orleans Police Department, he said there was only a 23% clearance rate of homicides.

The biggest difference between police departments that solve most serious crimes and those that don’t is staffing, Carter said. Some police departments, especially in areas where there is a high rate of serious crime, have to move on from investigations quickly. 

“In some homicide investigation assessments that I’ve done in major cities where they had quite a few homicides, it was 36 hours. If you didn’t have something in 36 hours, you’re moving on and this investigation took a back seat,” Carter said. “The reason why is because you have another homicide … or another shooting, you’ve got to get right on top of.”

According to the ELPD’s website, there are three detectives, a sergeant and a secretary who work within the department’s investigations/detective bureau. East Lansing has few serious crimes like shootings and homicides, which should help investigators keep a reasonable caseload and improve the investigation’s chances of being successful, Carter said. 

The ELPD is asking for video tips related to Sunday’s shooting to be submitted to ELPD Detective Jordyn Willis at jwillis@cityofeastlansing.com or by calling 517-319-6842. Other tips may be submitted to ELPD Detective Katey Harrison at kharris@cityofeastlansing.com or by calling 517-319-6851.

ELPD is also working with Crime Stoppers of Mid-Michigan to allow witnesses to share tips anonymously. Anonymous tips can be submitted here, or through the tip line at 517-483-7867.