Mother who 'got caught up in Detroit' among 3 slain

Detroit — A 32-year-old mother of seven was one of three people who were gunned down early Friday on the city's west side.

"She was a good person — she just got caught up in Detroit," said Kevin Fletcher, father of Janea Fletcher, who was killed about 2:25 a.m. Friday in the 4000 block of Boston, near Joy Road and Dexter.

Two men also were killed in the incident, police said. No information about the two male victims was released.

Investigators found the bodies of Janea Fletcher and one of the men inside a house, while the other man's body lay near the intersection of Holmur and Boston, police said.

"We're still trying to figure out what happened," Kevin Fletcher said. "I just got here from Arizona, and I'm still trying to process it all."

Kevin Fletcher said his daughter's children range in age from 2-17

"None of this makes any sense," he said.

Police said they've interviewed a witness in the case, and were still trying Friday to determine a motive.

The neighborhood where the killings happened is in the 10th Precinct, one of the city's most violent. Last year, there were six homicides and dozens of assaults within a 10-block radius of Friday's crime scene according to the Detroit Crime Viewer website, which uses official Detroit police data.

There were 41 homicides in the 10th Precinct last year — the third-highest in the city, behind the 8th and 9th Precincts. 

The city recorded 327 criminal homicides in 2020, a 19% increase over the previous year.

Detroit police have reported seven homicides during the first week of 2021, including three killings on New Year's Day. 

Anyone with information about Friday's triple homicide is asked to call the Detroit Police Homicide Section at (313) 596-2260, or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at (800) SPEAK-UP (773-2587).

ghunter@detroitnews.com

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Twitter: @GeorgeHunter_DN