15 people shot in Motown over 24 hours

DETROIT, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Detroit Mayor Dave Bing assured residents that police were tracking down suspects in a spate of weekend shootings that left six people dead.

A total of 15 people were shot in a 24-hour period between Friday and Saturday mornings, including two multiple-victim incidents.

"Reducing violent crime is our No. 1 priority," Bing said in a written statement. "Chief (Ralph) Godbee and the men and women of the Detroit Police Department are working around the clock to bring these criminals to justice."

The city plans to temporarily reassign about 50 officers from desk jobs to patrol duties to stem the violence.

The deaths added to a homicide toll for the Motor City this year that stood at 215 on Monday, up from 183 during the same period last year but still below the 241 reported in 2009, the Detroit Free Press said Sunday.

The body count in Detroit has included a number of multiple-victim shootings at parties and during neighborhood feuds.

The Detroit News said Goodbee recently told a neighborhood meeting that Detroiters needed to stop associating with gangs and drug dealers, and think twice about reaching for a weapon to settle a beef. "It is important to note in most instances when citizens are doing the right things and not engaging in risky behaviors, their likelihood of being the victim of one of these types of crimes goes way down," Godbee said.