WYANDOTTE, Mich. (WJBK) -
Police are investigating a shooting outside a bar in Wyandotte. It's a residential neighborhood and people that live there say when there's trouble at the bar, it is not surprising.
Two guys were arguing outside Frank's Cafe at 2:30 Thursday morning.
"I heard gunshots. I quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the front to see what was going on, and there's a guy out there shooting a gun and then he ran around the corner and ran down the street," said neighbor Michael Valley.
Sleeping neighbors woke to watch a gunman escape into the dark night. Police say a man was wounded, suffering a shot that grazed his head. Witnesses believe the shooter fired three times. The victim needed a head bandage, but police say he'll be okay. The shooter is known to police and they expect to make an arrest in the case.
"People have been carrying on at that bar for a long time," said neighbor Tony Miello. "It goes on well after last call and they come out of the bar yelling and screaming all sorts of obscenities at night and racing their cars around."
Neighbors say they've complained to police about the behavior of customers over the years in the pub and the gunfire outside the bar in the street is chilling. Homes surround Frank's Cafe.
"What, maybe 50 yards away? We're in the line of shot. Someone's out there shooting, it could hit our house, it could hit the neighbor's house, it could hit across the street. I mean there are lots of kids that live around here," Miello remarked.
"From around midnight to the wee hours of the morning even till after hours when the place is supposed to be closed, we see intoxicated persons being served, intoxicated persons loitering on the premises, sometimes fights in the streets, things that shouldn't be happening in an otherwise very quiet, very nice neighborhood," said neighbor Mark Miller.
One of Michigan's first bars, Frank's Cafe was given a liquor license in 1934. They pub actually got the state's third liquor license. Michael Pemberton is the pub's second owner. He's been operating since 1999. He says Frank's Cafe operated as a speakeasy during prohibition and has been here as long as anybody can remember.
"We have our fans from the neighborhood and we have people that have purchased homes next to a bar and figured out after the fact maybe they don't want to live next to or around a bar, but that's Wyandotte."
Pemberton says a shooting outside near the bar is very rare. Police say two men got into some kind of altercation for reasons unknown.
"It's a little unusual for a place like this. This is a little quaint, warm location that specializes in perch and wildlife."
Police are looking for one suspect in this shooting. The victim will be fine. If you have information, call Wyandotte Police.
Frank's Cafe owner Michael Pemberton says a shooting outside near the bar is very rare. (Credit: WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com)
