Gunfight Injures Teens After Group Ate Neighbors' Pizza Order

Gunfire erupted in a row over a pizza delivery in Detroit, Michigan, resulting in a hail of bullets that left five people injured.

The food order was dropped off at a home in Detroit, surprising the inhabitants—who had reportedly not ordered the meal, but decided to eat it anyway. When the hungry customers who had arranged the delivery went to confront their neighbours over their missing dinner, a fierce argument ensued that led to violence.

Five people, including two 14-year-old boys, were shot during the dispute on Penrod Street near Schoolcraft Road at around 8:50 p.m. on Thursday night.

Gun violence continues to be a hot topic dividing the U.S., as lawmakers, the gun lobby, and anti-violence campaigners disagree about how best to regulate civilian firearms. The arguments are reignited with depressing regularity following each mass shooting that devastates the affected community and rocks the country.

Last year, there were at least 639 mass shootings in the U.S., according to the non-profit research group the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which defines the term as meaning when four or more people are shot in a single incident, not including the shooter.

That definition means that last week's shooting in Detroit will likely end up counting toward this year's grim statistics.

Up to 30 rounds were fired during the fight, according to Fox 2. One of the teenage boys was reportedly shot in his face, while the other was hit in the abdomen. A 31-year-old man was also shot in the face, neck, and leg, a 32-year-old man was shot in the leg, and an 18-year-old man was hit in the hand. All of the victims were described as being in stable condition.

Police said one of the gunshot victims may also have been a shooter, according to Fox 2. Some 10 people were taken into custody at the scene, although all of them except one man were later released.

Detroit Police Chief James White spoke to the channel the day after the incident and said: "This is what looks like a shootout. Houses that are next door to each other, so neighbors. It is our understanding that this was a dispute over a delivery. They got into it and shots were fired, it appears from both locations."

He added that his officers "heroically" went inside one of the homes at great risk to themselves and "pulled 11 people out," whose ages ranged from 11 to 20. Discussing the shootout and the apparent cause of the argument, he said it was: "Unnecessary, ridiculous, and we're going to do everything we can to find out what happened. I've said it in the past: 'You use a weapon to resolve a dispute, you're going to get our full attention.' They have our full attention."

Newsweek has reached out to the Detroit Police Department through its website's media contact form for further information and comment.

Incredibly, it is not the first time a gunfight has broken out over food.

In August last year, a Detroit man was charged with first degree murder, kidnapping, carrying a concealed weapon, fleeing and eluding third-degree, and a felony firearm offense after an argument over BBQ chicken turned deadly, according to reports.

While the same month, in Brooklyn, New York, a man was shot in the neck by a customer who reportedly opened fire in McDonald's over some cold fries.