Wayne State University Student Killed While Sitting In A Car

Authorities in Detroit are investigating the death of a Wayne State University freshman who was shot and killed while sitting in a car. 

On Saturday morning around 2:00 a.m., 18-year-old Casey Willis was seated with a male acquaintance inside a Honda Civic on Cardoni street when two masked men approached the vehicle and began opening fire. They then fled the scene in a Chevrolet Impala. 

Her family does not believe that this was a random act of violence. 

“I definitely think that that man knew what he was doing, and I believe he was aiming it. He knew what he was doing. It wasn’t random,” Chasidey Willis, Casey’s sister, said of the man seen holding a “long gun” in surveillance footage. 

Family friend Lakita Gantz spoke highly of the teenager, telling Click On Detroit that “Casey did not deserve this. Casey was a good girl. Great kid. Great big sister. Great little sister. Doing everything she can to do things the right way.”

Willis was an exceptional young woman who worked two jobs while she attended Wayne State University. She gave back to her community by serving on the board for Alternative for Girls, a nonprofit that helps at-risk and homeless young women. Her mother and five siblings survive her. 

In a statement, Alternative for Girls praised Willis for being an “inspiration.” 

“We can take inspiration from Casey’s life and hard work. She overcame many odds, graduated from high school and enrolled in college, chose to join AFG’s board, and served as a leader and role model to others,” Amy Good, CEO of Alternative for Girls said in a statement.